Automate 2019 - The new MiR1000 mobile robot can carry up to 2200 pounds.
At Automate 2019, one of the trends occurring across multiple robot manufacturers was the penetration of the robotics market into small job shops and medium-size, medium-budget operations. The increasing flexibility, redeployability and ease of programming of today’s industrial and robots contributes to this trend.
Interestingly, at a press conference on day one of the show, Mobile Industrial Robots noted that much of their growing customer base is just the opposite. Large, mature automation users such as automotive and aerospace manufacturers are interested in using mobile robots to automate internal logistics and material handling within the four walls of the factory.
With the introduction of the MiR1000 robot, the technology now seems ready to handle almost any material handling task in a manufacturing environment. Transporting pallets, gaylord boxes, crates, or even large aerospace parts, automotive frames, or body-in-white could be potential applications for mobile robots in today’s factory.