An industrial automation company has developed a heavy duty autonomous mobile robot for manufacturing applications.

The HD-1500 from Omron Automation Americas joins its predecessors, the LD-60, LD-90 and LD-250, in the manufacturing space with its payload capacity of up to 1,500 kg, making it ideal for bulky loads such as a car chassis, pallets and other heavy items in lieu of forklifts.

Designed to automate material handling functions in the absence of skilled workers, the HD-1500, according to Omron, will reportedly improve manufacturer productivity and flexibility while also helping companies to enforce social distancing mandates imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by automating material handling.

In the manufacturing space, the HD-1500 determines the most effective material transport paths while independently navigating around objects and people on those paths. To accomplish this, the HD-1500 features an onboard programmable logic controller, 360° safety scanning lasers, improved docking accuracy, lidar-based navigation technology and more.

The HD-1500 can be used in conjunction with Omron’s LD-60, LD-90 and LD-250 robots, which are designed for small to medium payloads in the manufacturing space.

To see the HD-1500 in action, watch the accompanying video that appears courtesy of Omron Automation Americas.