At a press conference Monday morning at PACK EXPO International, Honeywell Intelligrated announced a strategic collaboration with Fetch Robotics to provide distribution centers with autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to help them more effectively fulfill growing volumes of e-commerce orders.
The initiative enables Honeywell Intelligrated’s customers to increase productivity and boost labor efficiency by deploying Fetch Robotics’ autonomous mobile robotics, which operates safely alongside operators to transport items through DCs without human guidance or fixed paths. By adding this offering to its smart robotics portfolio, Honeywell Intelligrated can provide customers with a range of flexible automation solutions that can be tailored to address current and future operational needs.
Honeywell Intelligrated previously announced its collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University to develop next-generation artificial intelligence and robotics technologies for DCs. The Fetch Robotics collaboration adds mobility capability to the portfolio of robotics solutions Honeywell is bringing to the market.
“As staffing challenges and the continued growth of online shopping are pressuring supply chains, robotics can be an effective solution to help make large, integrated distribution centers more efficient,” said Peter Krynauw, President of Honeywell Intelligrated. “With this arrangement, we can provide our customers with a complete suite of fixed and mobile robotics solutions, backed by the expert systems integration, solutions development, and reliable, 24/7 technical support they expect from us.”
Fetch Robotics offers a range of AMRs that use a combination of LiDAR and 3D cameras—similar to self-driving car technology—to navigate unpredictable warehouse environments safely and accurately. In the event of an obstacle, these robots can adjust routes in real time, unlike AGV systems, which depend on pre-programmed, fixed paths. This enables AMRs to take on repetitive warehousing tasks that may otherwise require significant travel time between locations and transporting heavy loads. Fetch Robotics’ solutions are also able to deploy and redeploy in just a single day, without integration requirements or changes to infrastructure.
