Hi Samil, Thank you for taking the time to talk to us about your organisation and your experience to date with the W2 Labs. Tell us about Milvus Robotics?
Milvus Robotics’ goal is to deploy robotic technology in human environments in a more practical and accessible manner to benefit everyone in the workplace.
As a company, we’re focused on developing new technology in the quickly growing robotics space. Robotics and automation has potential applications across a myriad of industries and we want to explore these opportunities.
Our robots work independently alongside people. The aim is to provide minimal disruption to normal working routines while making processes safer and more efficient. We are looking to augment people with robotic technology rather than replace the human in the workplace.
Why did you decide to enter the programme?
The ‘Warehouse of the Future’ category in this year’s W2 Labs programme is perfect for what we’re looking to achieve with our product. We believe our autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) have the potential to optimise internal material flows by working alongside humans safely, without the need for major infrastructure changes. Our robots can slot into existing workplaces to create solutions that increase productivity and profit. We see this as the warehouse of the future, which is just what the W2 Labs programme is striving to help build.
Congratulations on getting this far, What does your company hope to get from the programme?
Working with a big player in the UK logistics industry like Wincanton will give us invaluable access to their expertise. We’ll be able to work on our product in scalable environments and thoroughly test it in workplaces that can be hard to optimise; fulfilment centres, distribution centres and warehouses. We believe this experience will help us to adapt our technology to meet customers’ needs.
Our belief is that our AMRs will benefit workers by augmenting what they do and reducing repetitive transportation tasks.
What can you tell us about your idea that you have put forward to W2?
Our AMRs provide a much more flexible, efficient and integrated solution than traditional Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). By using sensory data and processing power, they have the ability to act in accordance with changing environmental conditions; the sort you may expect in a busy warehouse. They can optimise their route to improve workflow and travel times, while safely navigating around obstacles to avoid accidents.
It’s this ability to work around their environment that make our AMRs ideal for sharing space with workers safely. It also means they can plug into existing workplaces within hours, with technicians able to programme in destination points and map workflows.
As well as this, they can integrate with existing warehouse management systems and work within defined plans. This means robots can be selected quickly for the job according to already programed tasks, distance to destination, and battery level.
This, alongside the sensory technology, means multiple AMRs can operate in the same facility with the functionality to work alongside robotic arms or conveyors to undertake loading and unloading.
Lastly Samil, can you please share with our readers why you believe there is a need or a gap in the market for your idea?
To remain competitive, logistics companies must focus on increasing growth while keeping costs down; which can be difficult to achieve, especially with the demand for customised services greater than ever. On top of this, there’s fierce competition across the industry.
One way to help meet demand is through greater flexibility and scalability across the warehousing process. Our make the process of moving things around more time efficient and less labour intensive.
With infrastructure-free deployment, the costs associated with bringing in new systems are significantly reduced. Another benefit is the warehouse environment becomes more flexible and able to deal with changes in demand more effectively than it would through a fixed conveyor system.
Thank you so much for taking the time to update us on your entry Samil, we would like to wish yourself and the Milvus Robotics team the best of luck with the W2 Labs programme.