Boston Dynamics, which has been in robotics for several decades, is best known for its Spot robotic dog. The four-legged robot has been used on oil rigs, nuclear power plants, deep underground mines and other places where most people would prefer to limit their presence. But in recent years, the company has been paying more and more attention not to funny robots that can perform tricks, but to logistics, so it presented its new development designed for only one thing – moving boxes in warehouses.
The robot was named Stretch and looks rather boring relative to other Boston Dynamics inventions. It is not modeled after humans or animals, but aims to be as practical as possible. This is the long-promised commercial version of the Handle robot that the company unveiled just over four years ago. In its early form, it was extremely versatile and possessed an impressive ability to maintain balance while overcoming various obstacles. The robot could also lift a 45-kilogram box, but at that time few people realized that this ability would become its fundamental element.
The legs with wheels were replaced by a square platform in which cameras, sensors and a huge manipulator arm with seven degrees of freedom and a set of suction cups are installed. It can handle and move boxes weighing up to 23 kg. A hallmark of Stretch, like the rest of Boston Dynamics robots, is mobility. Usually, automation equipment in warehouses is installed in one place, and the workflow is already modeled around it. Stretch is designed differently, it can be anywhere you need to load or unload goods. And first of all, it will be useful where there is no automation of the workflow. Moreover, it can be easily moved to another warehouse.
This will allow Boston Dynamics to target customers who have avoided expensive automation in one way or another. And there are about 80% of them in the world. The Stretch is special in that its manipulator arm rotates freely thanks to clever counterweights hidden inside the platform. This patented technology eliminates the need for balancing a steel plate weighing several tons at the base of the robot. It is also present in the Atlas bipedal robot, which balances so easily that it can run, jump and even do somersaults.
Boston Dynamics claims the Stretch can move up to 800 crates per hour, which is comparable to human productivity. Thanks to high-capacity batteries, it can work on a single charge for up to eight hours. The robot can be operated by any person who has completed just a few hours of training, and its mobility allows it to be located among people. The company is currently looking for clients to test Stretch and plans to commercialize it in 2022.
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