§ IDEALworks GmbH develops and distributes autonomous logistics robots and their corresponding cloud-based management platform.

§ Next generation to be launched end of 2020.

Mid-November marks the official start of business for IDEALworks GmbH. The fully-owned BMW Group subsidiary, headquartered in Munich, will operate in new business segments as a provider of innova- tive logistics robotics and their corresponding cloud-based management platform. The aim is to become a leading supplier of autonomous robotics solutions in the logistics sector. The name “IDEAL” stands for In- dustry Driven Engineering for Autonomous Logistics.

IDEALworks and its products

The spin-off went hand in hand with renaming the idealworks products: the Smart Transport Robot (STR) which was developed when the company was still managed by the BMW Group, will now be the iw.hub.

As the flagship product of idealworks, the autonomous mobile robot can transport goods weighing up to one ton, independently calculates its own route and uses the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) navigation method, which does not require permanent navigation transmitters to be installed in buildings. An integrated battery module from the BMW i3 supplies the iw.hub with power for at least an entire shift. The third generation of the iw.hub will be rolled out at the end of 2020. Currently, more than 130 iw.hubs are in use in series production at several BMW Group production sites.

Alongside the iw.hub, the AnyFleet cloud-based management platform is a key part of the idealworks strat- egy. A simple and intuitive user interface allows logistics staff to automate existing processes. “The platform can support autonomous transport vehicles from different manufacturers. While idealworks was still under BMW Group management, the team advocated for the standard protocol VDA 5050, which describes the communications between different autonomous transport systems available on the market, in the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA). Regardless of the manufacturer, AnyFleet can be used to manage any autonomous transport sys- tem,” explained Jimmy Nassif, CTO IDEALworks GmbH.

“In founding idealworks and launching iw.hub, a product that holds great potential, we are bringing something new to the autonomous industrial vehicles market. We are launching a revised version with new features and, for the first time, the iw.hub is available outside the automotive industry. Since October, we have been carrying out pilot projects with a variety of interested companies to great success. We want to develop ideal- works into a top player among the providers of industrial logistics robots,” explained Markus Bauer, COO IDEALworks GmbH.

The iw.hub is equipped with high-performance technology as well as special Nvidia AI modules for steering. As a result, the autonomous logistics robot will see a significant increase in coordination and in its ability to recognize people and objects compared to the technology used to date. Improving navigation means obsta- cles such as forklifts, tugger trains or people can be identified more precisely and alternative routes can be calculated within milliseconds. The AI-based technology allows the iw.hub to learn and apply different responses to people and objects.