National Instruments has announced a collaboration that combines the ease of use and flexibility of its LabVIEW graphical system design software and MobileRobots MOBILEROBOTSindoors autonomous mobile platforms to help engineers rapidly deploy service robot applications.
According to NI “engineers working on robotics applications are often challenged to assemble a solution from the myriad of software and hardware tools that offer niche functionality and limited or no integration with other platforms”. The companies claim the collaboration “gives engineers a seamlessly integrated robotics development platform based on proven and robust technologies”.
MOBILEROBOTSindoors is a general-purpose platform that helps non-programmers quickly customise and install autonomous robots for applications such as couriers, guides, kiosks and inspectors. The robots also offer easy interoperability with third-party vendor solutions. According to MobileRobots, the technology is the basis for numerous robotics companies’ autonomous robotics solutions, and robots using this technology drive millions of kilometres each year in factories, hospitals and offices in the US, Europe and Asia.
“Engineers use [the technology] to keep from re-inventing the wheel and to jump-start solutions with tested foundation technology,” says MobileRobots CEO Jeanne Dietsch. “The combination of MOBILEROBOTSindoors and LabVIEW provides the industry with a complete set of core components and tools for quickly creating robotics applications. They also form the first general-purpose system designed to run robotics solutions from multiple vendors. The collaboration will benefit the service robot industry by slashing R&D costs for the vendor, lowering equipment costs for end users and making the return on investment from automation even greater.”
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