A reference platform aims to accelerate the development of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), writes Nick Flaherty.

The platform has been developed by eInfoChips, the engineering services subsidiary of distributor Arrow Electronics, using components from STMicroelectronics (ST) and NVIDIA.

The design is based around the NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano module and ROS 2 operating system and software stack, with system integration and mechanical design from Arrow.

ST components provide battery management for 24 V operation, with a prevalidated path to 48 V architectures along with an STM32-based real-time controller board acting as a powerful interface between the NVIDIA platform and the robot’s sensors and actuators. The motion control includes two BLDC motor drives based on STSPIN32 and STDRIVE devices for precise, smooth navigation.

ST MEMS inertial measurement units, magnetometers and environmental sensors are complemented by Lidar and vision inputs for SLAM-based mapping and navigation.

The pretested system-level design significantly reduces development risk and integration effort so that robot makers can start from a working, realistic AMR with a chassis, electronics and software. This can be customised in terms of the mechanics, features and cost-optimised designs, while ST provides a complete bill-of-materials solution with long-term product support.