From autonomous robots for heavy load transports and inner-city courier services to agricultural robots that sow, plant and fertilize to intralogistics robots: Continental is showing robotics technologies that can support people in key areas of application. The Continental Corriere is a small delivery robot for transporting food or parcels in urban areas. The Continental Contadino, on the other hand, is an agricultural robot that can sow, plant and fertilize autonomously. The third robot was developed for use in intralogistics, i.e. for support in production plants or logistics centers. Read more in the current eMove360° magazine or in the following:
CONTINENTAL CORRIERE – THE SMART COURIER
The most visible robotic vehicle in the everyday mobility of tomorrow is the Continental Corriere. The delivery robot, which weighs just under 40 kilograms and is around 30 centimeters high, is already being tested in Singapore. There he transports food from a restaurant to the local Continental location. In the process, significant experience is gathered for later series use. The vehicle is ideal for operations on the so-called last mile: for the transport of food, medicines or small packages to the end customer. A mobility solution like the Corriere can significantly relieve inner-city traffic when people no longer get into the car for a liter of milk, a packed lunch or an order at the pharmacy.
LIDAR SENSORS AND SELF-LEARNING SOFTWARE
The delivery robot moves completely autonomously and self-sufficiently through traffic. To do this, it is equipped with technologies that have already proven themselves in auto mobility. Lidar sensors and cameras, for example, which are already used in a similar form in systems for automated driving in cars, plus self-learning software, make the Corriere an intelligent participant in the cityscape. It recognizes pedestrians and their direction of travel, crosses traffic lights and adapts inconspicuously to the general my traffic flow. This makes the Corriere an ideal helper in tomorrow’s smart city life. At the ITS Congress, Continental is also presenting a central fleet management system that can also be used to intelligently operate a swarm of robot vehicles on a large scale.
CONTADINO – THE INTELLIGENT HELPER FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE
Continental is also developing a solution for outdoor use in agriculture. The Contadino is slightly larger than the inner-city delivery robot Corriere, but with a maximum weight of 100 kilograms, it is still significantly lighter than conventional agricultural machines. The compact dimensions and, above all, the low weight – in addition, for example, a sowing, planting or fertilizing module with a total weight of the Contadino of around 250 kilograms – allow gentle cultivation of the soil.
AMR – AN AUTONOMOUS ROBOT FOR LOGISTICS TASKS IN PRODUCTION
The autonomous intralogistics robot works more behind the scenes. Here he automates the material flow in production plants, warehouses or logistics centers. The robust vehicle is also equipped with proven technologies: Lidar sensors for 360-degree coverage of the surroundings, 3D camera systems, intelligent software and an optional ultra-wide-band transmitter for precise live tracking of the AMR in the fleet allow the robot Vehicle to become a valuable employee. He carries out transport orders independently, can avoid obstacles and calculate alternative routes. Here, too, an optional fleet management system can coordinate a larger fleet at AMR. Continental initially designed the autonomously operating vehicle out of self-interest: engineers at the technology company did not find a suitable solution on the market for making material flow and handling of heavy product components more efficient in their own factories. “We have developed a tailor-made robotics solution that is now very successfully integrated into everyday production in Continental’s hydraulic brake systems plants in Slovakia and in Changshu, near Shanghai, in China. This intralogistics solution will also be offered to external customers from next year when it is ready for series production, ”says Pierre Pomper, Head of the Autonomous Mobile Robots segment at Continental. www.continental.com
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