Changing the way the industrial world moves

This blog is authored by OTTO Motors CEO and Co-Founder, Matt Rendall.

Six years ago, we were the first-to-market heavy-class autonomous mobile robots (AMR). At the time, AMR wasn’t the coined term of use and the idea of robots for material handling was more futuristic than realistic. But we had a big idea - a belief that autonomous robots would change the way the industrial world moves and that we were uniquely positioned to do it.

There are certainly benefits to being first to market but more than one million production hours and four million deliveries later - we are proud to be the market leader in heavy-class AMRs.

We’ve learned a lot about what it takes to operate in mission-critical environments in factories and warehouses around the world. With every new site installed, every autonomous mile driven, every hour of operation - our vehicles get better, our autonomous software gets smarter, and the work OTTO does gets more efficient.

Today, we’re proud to announce the release of the next generation OTTO 1500 - the world’s most productive AMR. It is built from the lessons learned working alongside innovative companies around the world in our relentless pursuit of changing the way the industrial world moves.

Building the world’s most productive AMR

In 2015, OTTO Motors was a new division of Clearpath Robotics launching our first product - OTTO 1500. It was a fully-autonomous robot, built from the ground up to move heavy pallets through demanding manufacturing and warehouse environments. It was unlike anything on the market. Our earliest customers were innovators and early adopters, sharing our vision for safer, more efficient material flow with autonomous vehicles.

The hardware

Our customers put OTTO 1500 to the test. It was always on, always ready - moving materials to and from people, racks, and automation equipment. Our chassis and powertrain stood up to the challenge and with the added benefit of over 1,000,000 hours of validation and refinement, we built the newest OTTO 1500 on top of it. We gave it the ability to carry 1900kg at 2 meters per second. We modernized the sensor array, upgraded the computer and industrial controls, and overhauled the energy system. We focused on every detail to maximize productivity, and even gave it easy-access panels for faster maintenance routines.

The refreshed OTTO 1500 hardware takes full advantage of the latest enabling technologies and unleashes the previously untapped potential of our market-leading autonomous control software.

The autonomous control software

To meet the needs of our customers, our robots didn’t just have to get stronger - they had to get smarter too. Autonomous technology has evolved rapidly over the last 6 years. The market for the sensors, computers, energy systems and control components that enable autonomous driving have grown more powerful, more capable and more reliable. With over 3,000,000 hours of autonomous driving experience accumulated across our fleet to date, our autonomous control software is trusted in mission-critical material handling operations with AMR fleets of up to 100 robots.

At enterprise scale

It is easy to deploy one AMR. But what about 10 or 100? Our software has enabled some of the largest deployments of AMRs in the world - all working in concert connecting discrete automated processes, which we refer to as “islands of automation.”

One million hours of production experience on OTTO 1500 is a remarkable milestone that few AMRs have achieved. We’re only just getting started. To truly change the way the industrial world moves, we must measure customer relationships in decades, plan for an OTTO in every factory and warehouse in the world, and prepare for the day when we can claim one billion hours of production experience.

To our early customers who believed in us before anyone else - thank you. We remain committed to adding value and transforming the way your materials move in your business.

Thank you to our OTTO Certified systems integrators who continue to bring OTTO online in exciting new ways every day - we remain committed to delivering new tools and products to help you reach more customers.

Thank you to our amazing team who pour their heart and soul into building, installing and operating the best products in our industry - none of this would be possible without you!

Onwards and Upwards!

Sincerely,

Matt Rendall
CEO & Co-Founder