CONNECT WITH US
Robotics

Robotics

Boston Dynamics built Stretch Gen 2 for reliable, consistent performance

The Robot Report logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
Boston Dynamics built Stretch Gen 2 for reliable, consistent performance

The new Stretch features an updated modular design that enables “plug and play” part swaps. | Source: Boston Dynamics

Boston Dynamics Inc. this week unveiled Stretch Gen 2, the latest generation of its autonomous mobile trailer unloading robot. With over 100,000 operating hours and tens of millions of boxes handled under its belt, the company built the updated robot to maximize uptime and streamline maintenance.

Brian Donnelly, the vice president and general manager of logistics robotics at Boston Dynamics, told The Robot Report that the company has been working on the new version of Stretch for around two and a half years.

“When we made the first generation of Stretch, we were focused on trying to get a product out into the market as fast as possible and really get it in customers’ hands and get it operational,” he said. “It was not the easiest to manufacture; there were a lot of components.”

“[With Stretch 2], we really were focused on simplification, hardening the robot, and really driving improved reliability and performance,” added Donnelly. “That’s really what drove a lot of our decisions was just making the robot better in every way.”

Stretch Gen 2 can unload up to 1,000 cases per hour. This rate is highly dependent on factors such as case weight and how neat or disorderly cases are stacked. It has a multipick feature, a battery that can last two shifts, and a fast charger that can get it to 90% charge in about 75 minutes.

The mobile manipulator also features onboard lighting, making it easier to work in dark trailers, and a pre-trained vision system that can detect most packages without programming needed.


Source link
Related Topics:Robotics

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.