Japan-Made AMR “Kaghelo” Fourth-Generation Model to Be Released in January 2025.

～Evolving Over Time to Contribute to Labor-Saving in Factories and Warehouses～

Overview

Industry Alpha Inc. (Headquarters: Itabashi-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takumi Watanabe; hereinafter “Industry Alpha”), which develops smart factory and warehouse solutions, will release a new 500kg payload model of its popular AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) “Kaghelo” starting in January 2025.

Background of Development

The worsening labor shortage has become an urgent issue in the manufacturing and logistics industries. While automation is progressing in direct production processes through the use of robotic arms and other technologies, indirect processes such as inter-process transport still rely heavily on human labor. In particular, securing workers for heavy-load transport operations has become increasingly difficult, and the need for automation to reduce human labor is growing.

Since its launch, Kaghelo—an AMR that autonomously navigates factory and warehouse environments without the need for guides—has been highly regarded as a versatile, Japan-made AMR. Its design emphasizes compactness for maneuvering through narrow aisles and limited spaces typical of Japanese sites, as well as a low profile that allows it to slide under cart racks and other loads.

In recent years, the variety of transported items in manufacturing and logistics sites has increased, and there is a growing demand for systems that can handle a wider range of shapes and weights. Moreover, as the use of automated transport solutions expands, enhancing the safety of AMRs has become more important than ever.

The fourth-generation Kaghelo was developed in response to these needs, achieving both the integration of a newly developed lift-up mechanism and improved safety performance.

Main Features

In the latest fourth-generation model of Kaghelo, the following improvements have been made based on feedback from existing deployment sites:

1. Newly Developed Lift-Up Mechanism

• Enhanced resistance to vertical and horizontal shaking
• Achieves stability for a wide variety of transported items

2. Enhanced Core Performance

• Redundancy added to the stop function using LiDAR sensors
• Upgraded control board for the stopping system

3. Support for LPWA

• Enables long-distance communication for operation with fewer access points
• Multiple communication options allow for selection of the most suitable method for each site

Inherited High Basic Performance

• Two models based on maximum payload capacity (500kg and 1000kg)
• Low-profile design allowing entry under cart racks with minimal clearance
• 360-degree sensing (equipped with two front and one rear LiDAR sensors)
• Connectivity with Alpha-FMS enabling fleet control and integration with peripheral devices

Future Outlook

Kaghelo, a Japan-made AMR with a proven track record, has achieved greater versatility and safety through improvements in its fourth-generation model. Moving forward, we will continue to promote its adoption in more manufacturing and logistics sites, listen closely to feedback from the field, and further refine the product to contribute to the realization of automation and labor-saving in factories and warehouses.