Humatics Announces Strategic Partnership with Vecna Robotics to Improve Navigation of Self-Driving Vehicles and Industrial Robots in Materials Handling
HUMATICS’ MICROLOCATION TECHNOLOGY ENABLES VECNA ROBOTICS TO SCALE IN NEW ENVIRONMENTS, DRIVING SIGNIFICANT SAFETY, PRODUCTIVITY AND EFFICIENCY GAINS COMPARED TO LEGACY NAVIGATION SYSTEMS
Waltham, Massachusetts - April 8, 2019 - Humatics Corporation (www.humatics.com), the pioneer in microlocation products and software, today announced a partnership with autonomous logistics solutions leader Vecna Robotics (www.vecnarobotics.com). The integration of Humatics' KinetIQ 300 microlocation system into Vecna's fleet of self-driving vehicles enables them to navigate outdoor environments and access areas of the warehouse that had previously been considered difficult, such as loading docks. Humatics' technology also helps Vecna vehicles detect centimeter size objects from over four and half football fields away. This increases navigation efficiency in warehouses with limited permanent infrastructure, as opposed to fixed shelving.
Utilizing Humatics' microlocation platform, Vecna self-driving vehicles and industrial robots can better: • Navigate down to the centimeter in unstructured and highly dynamic environments, without delay. A worker may be moving boxes with a pallet jack in and out of a loading dock area, which can slow robots only equipped with LiDAR or fiducial stickers for navigation. Humatics' KinetIQ 300 system enables them to recognize these changes without confusion, with 2-centimeter repeatability from up to 500 meters away. This allows them to quickly identify and navigate around the smallest of obstacles, leading to significant increases in productivity. • Operate indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions. For example, Vecna vehicles can move pallets from an outdoor loading dock to an indoor warehouse storage area, or move goods to and from different buildings. • Increase operational efficiency in facilities operating with 20+ automated vehicles. "Our current vehicles are already self-driving with high confidence, but Vecna is constantly looking to innovate and improve to deliver the best solutions for each of our customers," states Dan Patt, CEO. "To facilitate this, we seek
to collaborate with industry experts, such as Humatics. As we continue to grow, we look forward to working with them to ensure our self-driving vehicles work in all environments, including indoor/outdoor spaces." Unlike other navigation systems such as magnetic tape, upward-facing vision, or laser-fiducial - which are less flexible and have traditionally limited the benefits of AGV systems for materials handling and warehouse operators - Vecna uses multiple sensors to ensure high-confidence navigation, drive topological reasoning, and enable dynamic obstacle avoidance. This technology suite can now be expanded with Humatics' microlocation, to offer a breakthrough solution to address navigation challenges within highly active environments. The Humatics Spatial Intelligence Platform™ combines hardware, software and analytics to help robots navigate more autonomously with seamless operation — both indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions.
About Humatics Humatics is pioneering microlocation technology that is faster, more precise, and more affordable than any 3D positioning or location tracking technology on the market. Its breakthrough microlocation products and analytics software comprise the Humatics Spatial Intelligence Platform™ that is revolutionizing how people and machines locate, navigate, and collaborate in the connected world. With its extensible architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs), the Spatial Intelligence Platform powers a growing ecosystem of new position-based products and services with the promise to transform huge markets, including industrial automation, next- generation construction, autonomous vehicles, and smart cities. Humatics is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts with an engineering center of excellence in Huntsville, Alabama. More information is available at www.humatics.com.
About Vecna Robotics Vecna Robotics delivers Automated Material Handling, Hybrid Fulfillment, and Workflow Optimization solutions featuring self-driving vehicles operated by a learning autonomy stack. Our solutions deliver value for customers in the distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing sectors. Our technology goes beyond traditional automation and focuses on maximizing human and robot capability to create fulfilling jobs, increase productivity, and encourage innovation. For more information visit www.vecnarobotics.com and pivot.al
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