ASTI Mobile Robotics and Telefónica reinforce their collaboration to market integral solutions for mobile robots in the connected industry

• The two companies have been working together for two years to develop a value proposition, a collaboration that is now being extended thanks to a new global agreement that will allow them to market an intralogistics product to boost client digitisation in the industrial sector in the two countries where they both operate.
• This is a comprehensive solution that includes the use of SLAM, LTE/5G, Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Edge Computing technologies, which are priorities for the convergence of the IT/OT world.
• This partnership has also developed a specialised solution for UV disinfection of working environments and optimum customer service to reinforce security measures as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Telefónica Tech and ASTI Mobile Robotics, a Spanish company specialised in the design and manufacture of mobile robots, announced  the signing of a global commercial agreement to promote the digitalisation of intralogistics in the industrial sector. The two companies have been collaborating for two years in the development of an integral  value proposal, a collaboration that is now furthered by this joint marketing agreement in the countries where the two companies operate, which also includes a more complete solution thanks to the incorporation of new technologies.

This integral  solution helps the industrial sector to automate repetitive logistical processes within their facilities, thanks to the convergence of the worlds of OT/IT (operational technology and information technology) with tools such as autonomous vehicles and mobile robots AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) with intelligence, cellular connectivity, Blockchain traceability and Edge Computing technology, thus improving their processes and increasing efficiency in both costs and delivery times.

Telefónica Tech’s IoT and Big Data solutions, developed together with partners such as ASTI, allow companies to optimise the industrial value chain by improving the overall efficiency of teams working in Industry 5.0. The main enabler of the so-called “Wireless Factories” concept is the 5G mobile communication standard, which allows mobile robots to communicate continuously and without interruption, allowing them freedom of movement, both in indoor and outdoor environments. These robots are guided through a technology, known as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping), which allows them to build a map of the environment and simultaneously locate themselves to navigate it, capturing and receiving the information from their sensors.

The development of the new generation of AGV robots and their integration with external sensors and the information of others in the same plant allows to have real-time vision and share it between all the AGV’s and other devices. All this is possible thanks to the capabilities of the new industrial communications with 5G and the computing capabilities in the network with Industrial Edge Computing. These technologies are integrated with the capabilities of both companies in advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

These solutions also make it possible to know the state of the batteries of the entire fleet of robots, and their state of activity, planning in real-time the loading processes of each robot without affecting the industrial customer’s production process at any time.

In addition, the application of Artificial Intelligence models makes it possible to determine whether the operation is correct, and thus carry out predictive maintenance of the entire fleet of devices.

A new solution to cope with Covid-19

The current Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of the logistics and intralogistics sector, and new needs have emerged such as intelligent disinfection of working environments or customer service.

For this reason, Telefónica Tech has developed, together with ASTI, a specialised solution for disinfecting environments using ultraviolet light based on the ASTI Zenzoe robot.

This new robot, like the rest of the catalogue of this signed agreement, has the capacity to keep the traceability of its locations and to certify them in an immutable way thanks to the traceability that Blockchain allows, in such a way that it guarantees that those environments have been disinfected in an irrefutable way, allowing certification of all processes where they operate.

“With this agreement we can bring our customers a product in which the main IoT and Big Data digitalisation technologies for the automation of industrial processes are unified, making collaboration between machines and humans a reality of the 5.0 Industry”, says Elena Gil, Global Director of Operations and Product in the IoT and Big Data unit at Telefónica Tech.

The AGVs, in addition to the load itself, carry a huge amount of extremely valuable data. With this agreement, we will be able to design joint solutions, so that this data can be treated and managed appropriately, bringing efficiency, scalability and generating added value to the services managed with AGVs", explains ASTI Mobile Robotics Sales and Partners Director, Roberto Lorenzo.

About Telefónica
Telefónica is one of the largest telecommunications service providers in the world. The company offers fixed and mobile connectivity, as well as a wide range of digital services for residential and business customers. With 342 million customers, Telefónica operates in Europe and Latin America. Telefónica is a 100% listed company and its shares are traded on the Spanish, New York and Lima stock exchanges.

For more information about Telefónica: www.telefonica.com

About ASTI Mobile Robotics
An industry leader in mobile robotics and automation solutions, it has over 35 years of experience in providing technological solutions in the Industry 4.0 ecosystem. With the widest range of driverless vehicles in the market, ASTI Mobile Robotics Group is the leader in Europe for the fifth consecutive year in its sector of mobile robot manufacturing. The engineering and data analysis provided by mobile robots is leading in industrial connectivity, optimizing operations and processes and facilitating the best decision making through real-time communication and traceability based on the cloud. In 2019, ASTI Mobile Robotics Group integrated InSystems Automation in Germany as part of the group. Currently, the company has offices in Burgos and Madrid (Spain), Mulhouse (France), Berlin (Germany) and North Carolina (USA).