Reliable Robot Operations

After you have received the robot and it is unpacked in your facility, the setup procedure begins. Setting up the robot in most cases starts with starting the robot (which comes with the battery having enough power for this setup). After that, the robot needs to be connected to the local Wifi and the device starts with different self-checks. If everything was successfully completed you usually start mapping. This means that the robot gets to know his new environment. Driving through the facility the robot uses SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) or a derived algorithm to create a map and to localize itself. Also, the position of the loading station needs to be determined by a robot.

To do all that quickly and efficiently the setup procedure needs a customer-centric design. This means that the procedure needs to be well guided and supported by well-written documentation. On top of that, a video that explains the setup can be very helpful. Robots are complex products with a lot of parts, hardware as well as software that can fail during the first steps.

To overcome all occurring problems the manufacturer has to provide a solid FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and material that helps the person who sets up the device.
 

Your Checklist
Ask the manufacturer to provide documents and media for the setup procedure
Ask the manufacturer to provide a contact person that is available during the setup