Concept: US-based Oceaneering International (Oceaneering) has launched three new mobile robots for the North American market. Included in the company’s Autonomous Mobile Robotics product portfolio, the robots leverage natural feature navigation technology, needing little to no additional infrastructure. This makes mobile robot system deployment easier and more versatile.

Nature of Disruption: The MaxMover CB D 2000 is intended to be a real substitute for traditional counterbalance forklifts. It can handle a wide range of load types, from standard and specialty automobile pallets to racks and carts. It has excellent mobility, including the capacity to pivot on the spot, and a highly complex control system that provides maximum safety for both humans and cargo, as boasted. The UniMover D 100 is a compact underride vehicle meant to convey light things including boxes, totes, trays, and individual objects. It also has on-demand obstacle avoidance capabilities, making it suitable for direct delivery to people. The UniMover O 600 is an underride vehicle that can move a wide range of bulk products, including engineered components, food, laundry, medical equipment, packing, and medicines. It has best-in-class mobility due to its omnidirectional driving capabilities and is vital for light industrial and healthcare applications where space is highly restricted, as claimed. All three robots, like all of Oceaneering’s mobile robots, can be operated as a mixed fleet, bringing an added dimension to meeting a client’s requirements.

Outlook: The usage of remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is increasing as the oil & gas sector recovers and the offshore renewable energy market expands. Subsea robotics advancements not only enhance inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) operations but also reduce their environmental footprint. Oceaneering Mobile Robotics (OMR) wing aims to offer best-in-class solutions at the lowest overall cost without losing performance, with over 1700 mobile robotics deployed globally and over 30 million kilometers accumulated. OMR boasts that it is a valued partner of exclusive brands in the automotive, healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceutical,  and toy businesses for over 30 years.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk