Easy to install and quickly amortised, the mobile robot allows new users to automate logistics processes in a cost-effective way

With the new ReBeL Move, which the Cologne-based motion plastics specialist is presenting at Motek 2024, igus proves that the automation of material-handling processes doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. The mobile robot moves autonomously through factory halls, transporting products from one place to another. It can also be combined with the ReBeL Cobot made of high-performance plastic. It only takes users with even the most basic IT skills an hour to commission and is available – including the ReBeL Cobot – for €34,808 (prices may differ in your country).

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) simplify everyday life in industrial companies: employees working on machines, for example, no longer have to fetch tools and materials from the warehouse on foot, but can be supported by autonomous vehicles. In times of cost pressure and staff shortages, more and more small and medium-sized companies with a low level of automation are realising that this technology increases productivity and reduces costs. “Nevertheless, there is often a reluctance to get involved due to lacking experience and the fear of bad investments,” says Alexander Mühlens, Vice President and Head of the Low Cost Automation Business Unit at igus. “To enable these companies to start automating material-handling processes without barriers and at low risk, we have developed a cost-effective and intuitive AGV with an integrated cobot for gripping objects: the ReBeL Move.”

Investment pays off in less than 12 months

The autonomous transport vehicle can carry small load carriers measuring 60x40cm and 30x40cm with a payload of up to 35kg. It travels at a speed of up to 1.5m/s, has a battery life of over eight hours and a charging time of less than two. As an option, it can be supplemented with a ReBeL, a cobot that igus manufactures almost entirely from robust and cost-effective high-performance plastic. With a unit price of only €4,970 for the fully equipped version, the articulated arm robot is five times cheaper than comparable metal models. It has a weight of 8.2kg, a payload of 2kg and a reach of 664mm. “At merely €34,808, the ReBeL Move costs only a fraction of a conventional AGV, meaning that the investment pays off within 12 months,” says Mühlens.

ReBeL Move can be put into operation within an hour

The new AGV system is not only more cost-effective than comparable solutions, it is also particularly easy to put into operation, taking hardly longer than starting up a robotic lawnmower. In less digitalised companies, the AGV functions as a stand-alone system that only requires a WLAN connection. For the configuration, the operator moves the vehicle along the future work areas by means of a hand controller. The ReBeL® Move has a 360° camera and automatically creates a digital map during the tour with the help of SLAM technology. After this initial mapping trip, the operator can use a tablet to define individual stations for working, waiting and charging. The same applies to no-go areas such as areas around stairs and lifts or zones in which the robot should travel at a reduced speed so as not to disturb employees. In physical reality, the mobile robot recognises the target locations with a camera and reflectors at the individual stations without the operator having to install complex guidelines or tracks on the ground.

The tablet can also be used to easily define the jobs that the ReBeL Move should carry out in material handling, such as removing products from a container at Station A with the ReBeL Cobot and taking them to Station B. The solution also includes software that enables intelligent fleet management so that several AGVs can work together efficiently. “The entire commissioning process is so easy that users can program simple jobs within 15 minutes,” says Mühlens. Integration into established IT landscapes, which enables synchronised interaction between robots and automatic roller doors, for example, is also no problem thanks to interfaces such as IoT, VDA 5050, REST, SAP and ERP. Says Mühlens: “As commissioning works so quickly, we can simulate small automation solutions for interested customers on site at any time and thus take away their fear of contact with the technology. In addition to purchasing the model, clients can also rent one.”