Developer Edition and more orchestration at AMR & Logistics

This week at the Association for Advancing Automation’s AMR & Logistics week conference we were excited to announce the launch of the new InOrbit Developer Edition and a host of expanded orchestration capabilities. The full press release is available to read now.

We always try to make RobOps tools that are both useful and accessible. That's why a year ago we launched the Developer Portal, and InOrbit Free Edition. But we’ve realized that many developers exploring the InOrbit platform need a bit more. Often trying to understand what tools will work best for their customers, they need to start building solutions right away. While certainly not the only context this is the kind of scenario Developer Edition was tailor-made for. Accessible and cost-effective, Developer Edition gives users access to the full scope of the InOrbit platform. Explore capabilities and pricing more here.

We’ve also made some significant additions to InOrbit Connect, expanding our Robot Directory by 300% and adding a host of newly Connect-certified companies. That means end-users looking for immediate solutions to their automation pain points can find more and more varied robots that are certified to work with our orchestration tools. 

We’ve talked in the past about the Four Os, but when the concern is interoperability, be it multi-task, multi-fleet, or multi-vendor the 3 Cs of robot orchestration are the key. 

InOrbit supports the 3Cs in a host of exciting ways. InOrbit Connect integrates with a broad set of robots, whether they connect via the native InOrbit Agent, the Robot SDK, via some of the most popular commercial fleet management software, or through emerging interoperability standards like VDA 5050 and MassRobotics AMR Interoperability Standard. But this is more than just theoretical talk.

This week at the AMR & Logistics conference in partnership with OTTO Motors, we showcased a live demonstration of AMR interoperability in action. This establishes a new precedent for advanced coordination as it might apply in a real-world scenario. 

At InOrbit we know end users struggle when integrating smart Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) alongside legacy automation like Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs). Customers want their robots to work in harmony, and our demonstration at AMR&L was able to show an impressed audience how the OTTO 100 can detect and avoid traffic jams with the less intelligent AGV (in this scenario the MiR 100 acted as our AGV). Avoiding conflicts through InOrbit integration on a single map showing both robots in real-time.     

This demonstration is also significant as it coincides with the release of a new open-source ROS2 to VDA 5050 connector, as developed by InOrbit and Clearpath Robotics, with participation by Ekumen and published on Github. As seen in the live demo, OTTO Motors, a division of Clearpath, is already using this software to integrate its commercial AMRs for material handling with VDA master controllers like InOrbit.

Of course, support of emerging automation standards is not new territory for InOrbit. Last year we released a connector to support ROS-based robots meeting the MassRobotics AMR Interoperability Standard. At AMR&L: this week we demonstrated this capability in a live setting to tremendous success. InOrbit, in collaboration with MassRobotics and additional partner-member Locus Robotics, showed AMRs from different vendors co-existing peacefully in the same environment through InOrbit as connected via the AMR Interop Standard. 

Here we see Jason Walker, VP of Market Development at Locus Robotics explaining how we manage the complexities of integrating distinct multi-vendor maps through InOrbit. Situational awareness between robots and their human counterparts within a single pane of glass is a truly important landmark for the future of robot collaboration in shared locations.   

We’re so happy to be able to share this vision for the future of interoperability with like-minded collaborators from the industry and bring it directly to the people for whom it will have the most impact. 

Trade shows involve a lot of heavy lifting for a start-up, but as we’ve said before, being able to connect with our industry peers, partners, and customers directly is so important. We had a great time at AMR & Logistics week in Boston, and are sincerely looking forward to the next event. 

Interested in following our adventures IRL further? Make sure you connect with InOrbit on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Discord), and keep an eye on our events page for details on all our upcoming appearances.