U-Kart Robotic Vehicle Platform Wins 2016 Innovation Award
FTR Systems introduced a development platform for building robotic electric vehicles at the 2016 Electric Vehicle Show in Taiwan. The robot kit won a bronze medal as part of the Innovation Awards.
Mobility company, FTR Systems Inc., unveils product development platform for creating robotic, electric-powered vehicles.
Sales and Marketing Director, Leon Liu, was on hand to receive the award.
The U-Kart's technology platform allows designers to build products for their industries. Possible applications include loaders and electric dollies for commercial and warehouse environments, or personal vehicles like electric shopping carts, strollers, or personal mobility scooters.
Charlie Palmer, FTR's Director of Operations, notes it's not simply electric-powered machines that can be created from the U-Kart platform, but smart vehicles that can move from location to location by themselves.
"The unit can be programmed to understand the layout of a warehouse or manufacturing floor," Palmer explained. "Like what you might see in larger operations such as Amazon's use of industrial robots to fill orders. The U-Kart can work on a smaller scale and at a much cheaper price."
According to the company website, the unit can be programmed to follow coordinates from a map of a warehouse or commercial campus, through GPS coordinates, or by using line tracking in which the sensors follow a magnetic tape that runs from one workstation to the next.
The company plans on offering different configurations depending on the application, from a power assisted motorized cart to a model that employs user tracking. The tracking feature works through the use of a handset that is worn on a belt. The sensors then track a signal, causing the U-Kart to make adjustments to the distance, speed, and angle of the user, which in turn allows the user to operate the unit hands free.
The company anticipates a release date of July 2016 for the product.
"We received a lot of interest and feedback from the show," notes Palmer. "When people understand the technology and what it can do, they start seeing possibilities for applications in their business."
The company plans on showcasing the U-Kart at trade shows and related events throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe through the year. For more information about the U-Kart, visit http://www.ukartsystem.com.
With branches in Las Vegas, Nevada and Taipei, Taiwan, FTR Systems, Inc. is a technology company that designs and manufactures innovative electric mobility products.
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