Introducing the Terabee Follow-Me system for mobile robots

If you are operating in warehouses or factories, there is a good chance you have people moving heavy loads. Today, electric or manual pallet trucks are the most common tools used, but mobile robots are on the rise! With this in mind, Terabee has developed a new hardware kit to make these tools smarter, enabling operators to remotely guide them. The results; simplified systems, increased productivity and reduced risk of accidents or injury.

Discover Terabee Follow-Me

Terabee is releasing a new hardware kit comprising of two beacons (a master and a slave), to be installed on a mobile platform, and remote control for the human operator. The remote control is battery powered and when the operator wants to be located by the beacons, he simply presses a button on the remote to activate the system.

With the button pressed, the system uses trigonometry to calculate distances and headings between the remote and the center point between the two beacons. In the case of a mobile robot, this data can be used by the robots’ navigation system to map a trajectory from itself to the operator.

Using radiofrequency, this relative positioning system enables a number of applications but is primarily intended for follow-me or track-me functions between a human and a mobile platform. We’ve been testing it on an industrial-grade mobile robot and have seen that combining our system with the robot’s navigation and anti-collision systems made follow-me functionalities significantly more reactive, and safer too. And to make robot integration even easier ROS (Robot Operating System) packages are available.

SPECIFICATIONS FOR TERABEE FOLLOW-ME SYSTEM

• Output distance range: Up to 60 m
• Access time to measurements: 20 ms
• Radiofrequency: UWB, Channel 5
• Beacon size: Ø6,6 cm x 6,25 cm
• Input voltage for master beacon: 10-30V (RS485), 5V (USB)
• Remote control: 14.5 x 9 x 3.5 cm
• Interfaces: USB 2.0 and RS485
• Mounting options: external or back panel mounting from inside the mobile platform
• Enclosure rating: IP65
• Price: €450

To be among the first to get your hands on this new solution, please contact us. We’d be happy to add you to the list of clients waiting to receive the Terabee Follow-Me system.

Potential applications for logistics and manufacturing

Our relative positioning Follow-Me system, combined with development of a control system for the specific platform, can transform electric pallet trucks into smarter mobile platforms, improving productivity when transporting items from one place to another. Instead of the human interacting with the platform using a handle, the operator can be positioned at a distance and guide it via the hand-held remote to navigate from one place to another. Designing a follow-me system with our kit will lead to an intuitive solution for the end-user.

Partner up with Terabee for your mobile robotics projects

Our engineers have extensive experience in helping to automate platforms and processes and work extensively with mobile robot manufacturers. If you would like to integrate Terabee technology to enable navigation, anti-collision, or follow-me functionalities into your mobile platforms, please contact us.