HP and MoviĜo Robotics launch Ŝharko5 autonomous mobile robot for Printing Industry

The Ŝharko5 is part of a complete solution consisting of not only a robot, but also comprises an intelligent software solution called INDI. INDI is designed to communicate with HP Indigo Presses and allows for interfacing with presses, manages pallet locations in the warehouse and manages pallet locations near presses and finishers. Combined with the Ŝharko5 autonomous mobile robots, the solution for pallet transportation performs throughout any Print Shop, saving manual labor and streamlining workflow while keeping the presses continuously operational. When paired with the HP Semi-Autonomous Press kit, the press and the AMR collaborate for synchronous operation. 

The press can automatically sort jobs by substrate and next finishing device, creating efficient pallet plans for production. Those plans are communicated to the Ŝharko AMR proactively so it can retrieve the correct media from the warehouse before the press is finished with the last media. When the press is finished with its current media the Ŝharko5 will replace the pallet in the press and prepare any unused media for return to the warehouse. The Ŝharko5 will then pick up the finished pallet and bring it to the finishing device in the pallet plan. The solution can manage a series of buffer areas to support pick up and dropping off the media needed.

“What separates the combined MoviĜo Robotics and HP’s solution is that we developed the Ŝharko5 from the ground up to serve the Printing Industry. The Ŝharko5 has an even smaller profile than a pallet jack, which along with its advanced navigational sensors allow it to operate on an active production floor with no need to make changes to the shop floor. The small profile of the Ŝharko5 and its ability to pick up pallets from both directions also gives it the unique capability to Load and Unload HP’s B2 presses. This innovation allows a single press operator to supervise multiple presses”, says Diego Diaz, Global Product Manager Automation at HP.  

“Designing and building autonomous mobile solutions is the core of our business”, says Paul van der Hulst, CEO of MoviĜo Robotics. “We are excited with this opportunity of collaborating with HP to help the Printing Industry move towards its next level of automation, which we call Industry 5.0. We are proud of the Ŝharko5 AMR we are introducing today, equipped with state of the art technology for seamless cooperation with HP Presses.”