Foxconn logistical robotics JV with ADLINK Technology, FARobot, has debuted its ‘Swarm Autonomy’ solution. Swarm Autonomy is a robotic management platform with cross-brand integrability across IT, OT systems, IoT devices, and factory equipment. The solution has been supporting intralogistics automation at leading global manufacturers including AUO and Juluen. It is due to be introduced into FOXCONN’s own lighthouse factory automation project.

According to FARobot, Swarm Autonomy is the first such platform with such wide integration across enterprise, OT, device and factory embedded technology.

Swarm Autonomy is designed to address issues that are preventing wider adoption of automated material handling in factories and across supply chains. Increasing demand volatility, labour shortages and rising costs are increasing manufacturers and logistic operators to turn to automated material handling, but problems with integrating back-end infrastructure and front-end equipment currently result in high time and cost penalties in implementing existing solutions.

Swarm Autonomy aims to solve these issues. Its Swarm Core software platform features agile integration designed to simplify deployment and scalability of cross-brand robots and equipment into the existing system and network infrastructures; agile operation, which delivers dynamic configuration, intelligent management, real-time monitoring, and control of robotic fleets and field equipment thanks to Swarm knowledge sharing technology; and agile optimisation, which dynamically schedules operation tasks to ensure an uninterrupted process flow even in case of unexpected situations.

“Robotics is one of FOXCONN Group’s “3+3″ emerging industries and is our solid foundation for moving toward automated, digitised, and intelligent production,” said James Tu, Chief Investment Officer of FOXCONN and Chairman of FARobot. “FARobot is expected to play an important role in the Group’s smart manufacturing system in the future.”

“Thanks to FOXCONN’s manufacturing big data, and ADLINK’s domain insight and innovations, we brought the Swarm Autonomy solution to industry within only 2 years,” said Ryan Chen, General Manager of FARobot. “It enables flexible interoperability across limitless robotic fleets running on a universal platform (Swarm Core) with a universal robotic communication technology (Swarm Protocol), enhancing production efficiency and equipment utilisation.”

FARobot has also launched a new Swarm Mobile Robot (SMR) series compliant with EN ISO 3691-4. The SMR250 and SMR1000 of 250kg and 1000kg payload respectively support integration with Swarm Core, enabling agile collaboration with factory equipment. It is widely compatible with various sensors and top-modules and ideal for diverse environments and OEM sectors.