Preface: Focusing on the research and development of key technologies for mobile robots, providing customers with high-performance products and high-quality services.
Key points of the article
One stop solution for six core challenges in mobile robot navigation and motion control.
Based on the controller as the core, we aim to create diversified projects and adapt to the intelligent logistics needs of multiple industries.
Recently, the professional team of AIROBOT518 came to Shenzhen EGO Robotics CO. Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "ego robots") to conduct an in-depth interview with founder Nice Liu on core issues such as technological innovation, market layout and industry trends of industrial mobile robots, and explore the technical password and strategic logic behind the differentiated development of enterprises.
Nice Liu (left) is interviewed by AIROBOT 518 online reporter
In the wave of robot industry focusing on embodied intelligent robots, ego robotics has always maintained a clear position, focused on the deep cultivation of technology in the field of industrial and service mobile robots, and embarked on a differentiated development path.When many enterprises are chasing the race track of humanoid robots and home service robots, EGO Robotics will focus on a more landing industrial scene, with controllers, forklifts AGV and AMR cars as its core products, and become a powerful enterprise focusing on project customization services.
The controller independently developed by ego robotics can be called its core competitiveness. Its controller has strong compatibility and scalability through deep optimization of underlying algorithms, and can adapt to different brands and types of mobile robots. Whether it is a semiconductor manufacturing workshop with extremely high precision requirements or a warehouse logistics center with complex environments, this controller can meet the diverse needs of customers through secondary development.
Forklift AGV and AMR trolley are the important landing achievements of EGO Robotics in the industrial scene. Its forklift AGV is designed to meet the heavy load requirements of warehousing and logistics. It adopts advanced 2D/3D laser navigation and visual recognition technology, which can operate accurately in narrow passages. Combined with a self-developed scheduling system, it achieves intelligent scheduling and path planning for multiple devices. AMR cars, with their flexible mobility and modular design, are widely used in production line logistics in industries such as electronics manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and new energy.
As a project oriented company with strong technical expertise, ego robotics is well versed in the concept of "customized services". From preliminary requirement research and scheme design, to mid-term equipment deployment, system debugging, and later maintenance and upgrading, its professional team is deeply involved throughout the process to ensure that each project can meet the actual needs of customers. This customer-centric service model has enabled it to establish a firm foothold in the industrial mobile robot market and set a benchmark for the development of project-based enterprises in the industry. It proves that in the field of mobile robot industry, it is not only about chasing popular concepts to break through, but also deeply cultivating segmented fields can create a broad horizon.
[AIRobot 518] believes that when the robot industry catches up with the hot concept, EGO Robotics deepens its efforts in industrial mobile robots, and walks out of the differentiated development path with core products such as controllers, AGV, AMR, and customized services, which is quite instructive.
Nice Liu, founder of EGO Robotics
01 New leasing model - creating differentiated products
From the perspective of industry development trajectory, unmanned forklifts were born in the 1950s and have undergone many years of accumulation. Now, driven by various forces, they have ushered in innovative opportunities, and the leasing model has begun to emerge as an emerging business model.
Nice Liu, general manager of EGO Robotics, said that this model had been discussed with leading enterprises in the forklift leasing field before. Although they still held a cautious wait-and-see attitude, the unmanned forklift leasing model has shown significant market potential by virtue of its asset light operation advantages and professional service value. On the one hand, enterprises can use this to reduce the initial equipment procurement costs and flexibly respond to business fluctuations; On the other hand, leasing companies can leverage their technological service advantages to ensure efficient operation of equipment.It is worth noting that EGO Robotics has prospectively deployed lease management technology. Its independently developed controller integrates backend management functions such as remote control, enabling digital management of the entire lifecycle of equipment. At present, this leasing model has been piloted in the Southeast Asian market, starting with small handling equipment, accumulating practical experience for the large-scale promotion of unmanned forklift leasing business, and providing practical samples for the industry to explore new business models.
From the perspective of industry evolution, although the rental model of unmanned forklifts has promising prospects, there are urgent challenges such as technological stability and service standardization that need to be overcome.In the context of the current acceleration of intelligent transformation of industrial logistics, EGO Robotics, with its core controller technology advantages and mature AGV/AMR product system, may reshape the industry's competitive landscape if it cuts into the leasing business track. The independently developed controller has the ability to connect with non-standard automation and expand independently. This differentiated technical feature enables leased equipment to flexibly adapt to customer production process iterations, warehouse layout adjustments, and other needs, breaking the limitations of fixed equipment functions in traditional leasing models.Through leasing services, EGO Robotics can not only reduce the initial equipment investment cost for customers, but also provide customers with full life cycle management of equipment relying on the technical service team. This "hardware leasing+technology empowerment" model not only meets customers' needs for efficient and flexible logistics solutions, but also opens up new growth points in the fiercely competitive mobile robot market, achieving differentiated breakthroughs through service driven approaches and providing new ideas for industry development.
02 Simplify to Essence and Detail
In the wave of technological change driven by the deep integration of artificial intelligence and robots, the mobile robot industry is entering a critical period of development. From environmental perception, positioning and navigation, to software and hardware systems such as control and scheduling, the iterative innovation of core technologies continues to reshape the industry landscape.In the face of the development complexity challenges brought by integrated multi perception technology, the founder of EasyWalk Robot, Nice Liu, proposed modular design, integrated solutions and other strategies with the concept of "simplifying to the essence and simplifying to the micro", pointing out the direction for the development of the industry.
In the typical application scenario of robot elevator docking, the traditional mode relies on a central scheduling system for information transfer, which not only increases system complexity but also easily leads to information delay. Easy to use robots break conventions by integrating communication functions into the vehicle itself, achieving efficient information flow through direct interaction and greatly improving system operational efficiency. This kind of design that simplifies complexity is a vivid practice of the concept of "simplification to perfection", which fully unleashes the value of device interconnection.
The general controller of EGO Robotics implements this concept to the end. In terms of communication, the controller supports external WIFI, 4G, and 5G communication modules, which users can flexibly choose according to their actual needs, avoiding redundant design and meeting diverse communication needs with a simple architecture. At the level of secondary development, the use of open-source frameworks for universal controllers gives users the ability to customize freely, without the need to invest high costs in complex underlying development. This not only lowers the development threshold but also improves development efficiency, truly achieving the technological pursuit of "streamlining to the essence".
This persistent pursuit of "simplicity to simplicity" not only makes EGO Robotics stand out from the complex technical challenges, but also provides an innovative paradigm for the mobile robot industry to learn from, and promotes the industry to develop in a more efficient and flexible direction.
03 Based in China and Expanding Overseas
In terms of market layout, Nice Liu said that "based on domestic development overseas" is the strategic fulcrum.China is the largest industrial robot application market in the world. The technology and project experience accumulated by EGO Robotics in China is the foundation for developing the international market. The overseas market has enormous potential, but there are significant differences in demand in different regions. Therefore, we have chosen controller technology as the entry point, combined with localized project cooperation, to open up the situation through a dual approach.
From a technical perspective, the controller independently developed by EGO Robotics not only has compatibility and scalability, but also can adapt to the needs of mobile robots in different scenes. More importantly, its stability and reliability have reached the leading level in the industry through a large number of domestic projects.For example, in the scenarios of automobile manufacturing, warehousing and logistics, the controller of EGO Robotics can accurately meet the needs of different equipment, which is the "hard power" most valued by overseas customers. ”Only when the technology is mature can the product go far and stay stable.
What are the unique features of operating models in overseas markets? Mr. Liu stated that the company adopts a strategy of "light assets and localization". On the one hand, the company has established a comprehensive mass production system in China to ensure stable product output;On the other hand, EGO Robotics delivered the project to local dealers, and quickly implemented it with their channel resources and market experience. The biggest advantage of this model lies in its down-to-earth approach - it can avoid the risks brought by overseas policies and cultural differences, and flexibly adjust services according to local needs. For example, in industrial powerhouses such as Germany and the UK, we leverage our technological advantages to enter the high-end manufacturing field; In Southeast Asian countries, high cost-effectiveness and customized services are used to help upgrade the local manufacturing industry and achieve precise penetration.
So far, EGO Robotics has been applied in South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries, covering many industries such as automobile, electronics, medicine, logistics, and has accumulated a number of benchmark cases. These achievements not only prove the feasibility of the technology, but also establish a good reputation for the brand.Nice Liu said that in the future, it will continue to deepen the two wheel drive mode of "technology output+localized operation", consolidate the foundation of domestic research and development, increase investment in overseas markets, explore more cooperation possibilities, and hope to provide some experience for the international development of Chinese mobile robot enterprises.
