BMW: launches new business unit, betting on logistics robots

(CercleFinance.com) - German premium carmaker BMW said on Friday it launched a new business unit in a bid to become a leader in autonomous robots for the logistics sector.


The "IDEALworks" unit - a fully-owned subsidiary headquartered in Munich - will launch its first product, the new "Smart Transport Robot" (STR), at the end of the year.

This flat, autonomous and mobile robot can transport goods weighing up to one ton, independently calculating the best route and moving thanks to a navigation algorithm.

"Our perspective is changing now. We are becoming a provider of logistics robotics beyond the automotive industry," BMW said.

More than 130 STRs are already in series production at several different BMW plants.

An integrated battery module from the BMW i3 is able to supply the STR with power for at least an entire shift.

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