MiR's MC600 combines AMR with collaborative robot

Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) announces the MC600, a new robot it describes as a mobile collaborative robot (cobot). The MC600 combines features of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and collaborative robots, aiming to support complex workflows in industrial environments.

An AMR is a useful tool in industrial environments that can significantly increase productivity when moving goods and products. The robots can be found in many distribution centres, for example, where they support employees packing goods by delivering the right products and goods at the right time.

Collaborative robots can also be found in many industrial environments. Among other things, they are characterised by their ability to safely collaborate with people, taking over, supporting or simplifying a variety of tasks. For instance, robots can pack products, sort objects, (de)palletise or assemble goods. One limitation here is that collaborative robots are in a fixed location, and generally not mobile.

The MC600 combines the best of both worlds. "By combining the 'legs' of a mobile robot with the 'arms' of a cobot, the MC600 provides solutions to multiple automation challenges, such as palletising and machine control, with one system," says Jean-Pierre Hathout. "Although some companies have explored humanoid robots or customised mobile cobot solutions, these are still far from widespread adoption. Today, the MC600 is ready to safely tackle these complex automation challenges."

The concept is not entirely new. MiR has long offered the MC250, which is the smaller brother of the MC600. "The smaller MC250 has proved especially popular in semiconductor manufacturing and other light manufacturing tasks, but there was a clear need for a mobile cobot for heavier applications," said Ujjwal Kumar, group president of Teradyne Robotics. With the MC600, the company now offers a more powerful version of the MC250, aimed at handling heavier objects and automating tasks such as palletising, box handling and machine operation, among others.

The MC600 offers a load capacity of up to 600 kg. It, combines MiR's MiR600 AMR with Universal Robots' (UR) UR20/UR30 cobot arms. This allows the MC600 to automate complex workflows in industrial environments, including palletising, box handling and machine control. With the extended reach of the UR20, the MC600 can perform tasks in areas that were inaccessible to smaller cobots.

The global mobile cobot market is expected to grow 46% annually by 2030, driven by the need for more efficient and flexible automation solutions. With the MC600, MiR aims to respond to this, explains president Jean-Pierre Hathout. With it, the company aims to offer a secure and instantly deployable system that offers ease of use, repeatability and continuous support.

Among other things, the MC600 should increase worker productivity. For instance, the robot can operate multiple machines and perform continuous material handling. Thus, human workers no longer need to focus on this and can engage in more valuable tasks, the company reports. In addition, the MC600 improves ergonomics by taking over moving heavy goods. This reduces physical strain and makes the workplace safer.

Some technical specifications of the MC600 are:

All specifications can be found here.

Image: Press photo