Drive Unit
The Drive Unit is a mobile robot used by Amazon for automating its warehouses. It carries heavy shelves of inventory on its back, and it never gets tired, complains about the boss, or asks for a raise.
FEATURES
Capable of operating autonomously in groups of hundreds. Decentralized software architecture. Able to lift about 450 kg, or 1,000 lb.
HEIGHT
N/A cm | N/A in
LENGTH
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WIDTH
N/A cm | N/A in
WEIGHT
146.5 kg | 323 lb
SPEED
4.68 km/h | 2.9 mph
SENSORS
Downward-facing camera (to read barcodes on the floor), upward-facing camera (to read barcodes under product racks), infrared sensors, and collision-detection bumpers.
ACTUATORS
N/A
POWER
N/A
COMPUTING
On-board computer on each robot, a main server for managing the robots and inventory, and PCs at the order-fulfillment stations.
SOFTWARE
Agent-based software running on the robots, the main warehouse server, and the PCs.
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)
N/A
MATERIALS
N/A
COST
N/A
STATUS
Ongoing