52 Digest | Robotique Occitane ROC-E AIV costs. ROC-E is cyber-secure and traceable by design, and most of our customers integrate it within one day, sometimes within an hour.” The cargo handling module atop ROC-E is the one aspect of integration typically taken on by the customer, given that they will know best their practical needs. Hence, aside from rare occasions where the customer has asked RobOcc to handle this section or asked for the standard-issue shelf for carrying 60 x 40 x 40 cm crates, bespoke arrangements of shelves, plates, conveyors, elevators or grippers are typically commissioned by the customer from other suppliers. “Some want more vertical arrangements than others, some want hybrid organiser modules with slots for both documents and raw materials, and some want slots for carrying tools for production machinery,” Dehlinger says. “The mechanical parts of these modules often come from Usitech, with the electronics often coming from Occion, both located in Brens, 80 km from Toulouse. So, the customer typically deals directly with them.” Switching from one payload module to another typically takes around 15 minutes, argely encompassing the removal (and then re-insertion) of fasteners and connectors from one module to the next. RobOcc notes that some customers will opt for one payload, such as a static, fixed shelf for eight months of the year, and then switch to an automated shelf carrier system for the other four months (owing to seasonal shortages of warehouse workers, for example). Full metal ROC-E The robot is largely built around a singular chassis formed from aluminium, with aluminium also used for the body plates that close the chassis and for internal mounting components. “There is almost no plastic in the robot. Effectively, it’s fully aluminium, which is more recyclable and eco-friendlier than plastic, and the outer panels are removable to facilitate removal, replacement and therefore upgrading of internal subsystems by the customers themselves,” Dehlinger says. “We’ve already had one customer receive hardware upgrade packages from us for their robot; those can consist of things like new, improved cameras because those advance all the time and can unlock improved reactivity and safety. Look at the few biggest names in AGVs and AMRs, and you’ll notice that nearly all of them use the Intel D435, which is a fine stereo camera, but was launched almost 10 years ago now. There’s so many new stereo cameras that have come out since then but they can’t upgrade to them.” By contrast, ROC-E is built to enable easy access, unplugging and replacement of its sensors, motors and some other components; so long as the desired upgrade is specified, RobOcc implements a software upgrade with the necessary interfacing and driver updates to accommodate the new hardware. Through this approach, RobOcc anticipates that customers will be able to acquire future versions of ROC-E not just by ordering whole new robots, but by requesting specific upgrade packages that will retrofit their real-time spec to the latest specs (the latter approach being less pricey and more eco-friendly than the former). “As well as facilitating modular upgrades, the aluminium structure is even closed underneath with a 5 mm aluminium plate, which blocks against damage and penetration from a great deal of unwanted objects that can pass under ROC-E,” Dehlinger continues. August/September 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Aluminium has been heavily used for structural and body parts, for easy recycling and good protection against sharp (or even explosive hazards) in industrial spaces
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