Cost effective and easy-to-install solution lets Magni users upgrade to wireless power for highly-reliable and fully autonomous operations

July 20, 2020 - SEATTLE - WiBotic, a Seattle company that specializes in advanced wireless charging and power optimization solutions for the rapidly expanding ecosystem of aerial, mobile and marine robots, today announced a partnership with Ubiquity Robotics and the availability of a new wireless charging kit and fleet power optimization software for the Magni robot. For the first time, Magni users can program the robot to navigate to a charging station where wireless power transmission will begin automatically, allowing the robot to operate fully unattended for a wide variety of applications.

The WiBotic kit consists of an AC-powered free-standing portable transmitter base station that can be located anywhere autonomous robot charging is needed. Additional components, including a wireless power receiver antenna and Onboard Charger (OC) circuit are fitted to the Magni robot and connected to the battery using supplied mounting hardware. The process requires only a few minutes per robot, making it simple to install on new robots or as a retrofit package for existing Magni customers.

After installation, the robot simply needs to navigate to within a few centimeters of the transmitter base station for charging to begin. Charge voltage and speed (current), amongst other parameters, are pre-programmed but are fully adjustable through the WiBotic software GUI and/or APIs. ROS drivers are also available. Different versions of the kit with different power levels are available depending upon how quickly the robot must be charged. Finally, given the many-to-many capability of the WiBotic system, multiple robots can share a single base station or multiple base stations throughout a facility to truly optimize power delivery across an entire fleet of robots.


"Ubiquity Robotics has developed an extremely cost effective and functional robot for a wide range of applications" said Ben Waters, WiBotic CEO. "Their customers now have access to an automatic charging system that reduces or eliminates the labor and maintenance costs typically associated with manual battery charging or battery swapping. Our fleet power management software also provides visibility into robot uptime and productivity, allowing robots to complete more work while minimizing charging downtime."

The kit will be sold by WiBotic to new and existing Magni customers in various vertical markets. "Magni's unique combination of size, payload adaptability and support for the ROS operating system have made it popular for applications ranging from factory/warehouse materials conveyance to chemical and UV disinfection." said David Crawley, Ubiquity CEO. "As with any robot, though, its value isn't fully realized if users have to constantly deal with the recharging process. WiBotic's system will cut the cord for Magni, making it completely self-sufficient for the first time."

More information on the wireless power kit for Magni can be found in the "Products" portion of the WiBotic website where customized charging kits for other robots and drones are listed. Robot OEMs or end users who wish to realize the benefits of wireless power for other products can contact WiBotic sales at sales@wibotic.com to discuss our simple integration process.

About Ubiquity Robotics
Ubiquity Robotics aims to make developing your mobile robot application easy by supplying high quality ROS based mobile robotics bases at affordable prices worldwide. The Ubiquity Robotics Magni platform carries a 100kg payload in any IBC code compliant commercial space and is the basis for numerous robots including robots in the disinfection, warehouse, mining, agriculture and airport domains to name but a few. The mission of the company is to enable Ubiquitous robotic service. For more information go to www.ubiquityrobotics.com.

About WiBotic
WiBotic provides wireless charging and power optimization solutions for the rapidly growing ecosystem of aerial, mobile and marine robots. Its solutions help companies optimize the uptime of robot fleets and are an integral component of fully autonomous robotic operations. WiBotic works with companies in a variety of industries. For more information, please go to: www.wibotic.com