Bosch Rexroth and Geek+ join forces in robotics

Geek+, a leading global robotics developer, will adopt the Bosch Rexroth software component Locator in future logistics solutions. The Locator provides reliable positioning and orientation for mobile robots in a wide range of industries and application areas, without any infrastructural measures. The two companies came to a cooperation agreement within just a few weeks. Geek+ was founded in 2015 and has since sold more than 10,000 robots for logistics applications.

(from left to right): Joerg Heckel (Project Director Intralogistics Robotics at Bosch Rexroth), Thomas Fechner (Senior Vice President Product Area New Business at Bosch Rexroth) and Jackson Zhang (Vice President of Geek+ Europe)

As a software component, the Locator is independent of the hardware used by the manufacturer. The encapsulated function block can be integrated into a large number of control systems and supports a wide range of laser sensors, including safety lasers. “We examined the technical parameters and were impressed by the industry readiness of Bosch Rexroth’s solutions, its openness for various hardware configurations and in particular its fast and easy commissioning,” said Yong Zheng, founder and CEO of Geek+. The Company headquartered in Beijing is planning to market more disruptive solutions in the area of intralogistics, using the software for its mobile robots. “As a fast growing start-up, speed and global presence with our partners are crucial factors for us”, Yong Zheng emphasized.

“For innovative software solutions, we combine maximum flexibility on startup level with intensive research and profound application knowledge in the area of autonomous driving within the Bosch Group,” added Jörg Heckel, Project Director Intralogistics Robotics at Bosch Rexroth. “We are geared toward collaborating with partners of all sizes worldwide”, Jörg Heckel emphasized.

Within the Intralogistics Robotics project, a large variety of software and hardware solutions around the use of intelligent robots is being developed. Commissioning the Locator is fast and easy: it only takes the push of one button and a single orientation drive to train the vehicle. The software creates a dynamic map, which is stored either locally in the vehicle itself or on a server. In fleet use, all vehicles use the same map. Every change in the environment is automatically reflected. The software component Locator is already used by various manufacturers of Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV) and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR).