Siemens Digital Industries Software today announces that autonomous factory automation start-up, wheel.me, has selected the Siemens Xcelerator as a Service portfolio of industry software to help drive development of its next generation Genius 2 - an autonomous system that can turn almost any object into an autonomous mobile robot. The wheel.me system allows customers to optimize intra-logistical operations by efficiently transporting goods on the factory floor without human intervention and can transform anything into an autonomous mobile robot with minimal effort - without the need to alter its design or form.
Designed and engineered at the company’s Oslo headquarters using Siemens Xcelerator as a Service, Genius 2 has been developed to work alongside people, freeing them from repetitive tasks and boosting productivity. Comprised of a set of four autonomous wheels with one wheel acting as the central brain, Genius 2 works alongside wheel.me’s indoor navigation technology and data analytics and is adaptable to different loads and sizes - possessing obstacle detection and dynamic path planning capabilities thanks to their advanced sensor technology. The accompanying software allows for customizable process flows and centralized control, enabling efficient navigation and successful transportation throughout customer’s facilities.
In 2023, wheel.me realized it needed to move from its existing multi-vendor toolset of disparate engineering systems and basic management solution from to a single, unified platform that not only encompassed mechanical design, but also brought together its team and data with robust lifecycle management capabilities. As Casper Rødsrud, Head of Mechanical Engineering at wheel.me, explains, “We realized that using bits and pieces from different software suppliers was slowing down development, so we decided to look for integrated solutions and somewhere where we could get the whole package.”
Supported by local sales partner, Clevr, wheel.me selected Siemens’ Mechanical Design bundle (an interoperable bundle of Siemens’ NX™ software and Solid Edge® software) for product engineering along with industry proven Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) with Teamcenter® software. This enables the team to flexibly switch between its chosen design tools in a controlled, centralized and data managed environment. As Rødsrud explains, “The ability to get access to both NX and Solid Edge gives us the flexibility we need to choose the tool best suited for the project needs. It’s the flexibility that’s key and knowing that we can do quick concept designs in Solid Edge, then move to NX during in-depth design as well as to carry out any necessary simulations is also important for our team.”
“We believe that startups are the lifeblood of innovation across the complete spectrum of the design and manufacturing industry. We’re delighted to work with wheel.me as they explore the potential for autonomous robotics in the factory and warehouse,” said Mats Friberg, Vice President & Managing Director, Nordic Operation, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “It's another great example of how the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio is bringing world-class design and engineering capabilities in a controlled, managed and secure lifecycle management environment to pioneering companies of all sizes, to help them truly innovate and explore the future.”
The team at wheel.me is anticipating that the growth the company is experiencing isn’t likely to let up anytime soon, so scalability of processes and infrastructure is critical both now and the future. “The demand is continuously growing and we want to grow with it,” concludes Rødsrud, “We are growing globally, especially in Europe and the US, and are very excited for what the future will bring.” wheel.me is embracing this accelerated pace, but also know it needs to make sure the growth is sustainable, and that their resources are being used wisely - and Siemens Xcelerator as a Service is the toolset of choice as they explore the future of autonomous factory automation with their customers.
To learn more about Siemens Xcelerator as a Service portfolio of industry software visit https://www.sw.siemens.com/en-US/digital-transformation/cloud/
