In the classic TV series The Jetsons, the protagonists hired a robot butler named “Rosie” who also served as a temporary security system and companion for the family. Although the story of The Jetsons takes place 40 years in the future, forward-looking robotic technology like Rosie is already a reality.

RoomieBot is a good example. It is a mobile service robot that uses edge AI, machine vision, and natural language processing (NLP) to autonomously navigate and interact with humans in medical, retail, and hospitality environments. It is not difficult to imagine that in the future, these AI robots will gradually become home assistants.

Future ubiquitous mobile service robots need to be built with modular hardware that combines performance, efficiency, and advanced software support.

Analysis of modern mobile service robots

To determine the best way to provide these functions, it is necessary to first understand the current state-of-the-art technology, including its advantages and limitations. RoomieBot is designed around Intel RealSense cameras, Intel Movidius VPUs, and Intel NUC platforms. The hardware kit provides a good foundation for early mobile service robots, with the following required vision and compute capabilities:

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for autonomous navigation

Visual detection algorithms for identifying people and objects

NLP for voice user interfaces

Capabilities to control embedded motors and actuators

However, as companies look to scale up production of these systems for mass-market deployment, there is a potential need for upgrades that improve performance per watt and simplify integration. Notably, these can be achieved with the 12th Generation “Alder Lake” Intel Core processors.

Small size, high performance, low power consumption

The latest Intel Core processors offer significant performance gains over the 8th Generation Intel NUC. The performance gains are due to the addition of 8 cores (for a total of 12) on the new processors, but this is not an effect that can be achieved with just any core. The 12th Generation Intel Core processors are the first to introduce a hybrid core architecture consisting of traditional performance CPUs and new high-efficiency cores. The high-efficiency cores are optimized for compute-intensive workloads such as system management and mission control.

All of this added performance is achieved with minimal power tradeoff, as the Intel Core i7-12700TE processor has a TDP of just 35W, compared to 28W for the previous 8th Gen mobile processor. For mobile service robots, this helps perform complex edge AI work without immediately draining the onboard battery.

Smart integration, out-of-the-box

The ability to seamlessly integrate 12th Gen Intel Core processors into a variety of different mobile service robot architectures is another key consideration for mass production and deployment.

Advantech’s 4” EPIC small form factor single board computer MIO-4370 (165 x 115mm) supports 35W 12th generation Intel Core desktop processors with up to 16 hybrid cores and 24 execution threads. MIO-4370 provides OEMs and system integrators with a robust edge intelligence module with all the I/O required for modern mobile service robots, such as:

Various high-bandwidth I/O and serial ports for easy integration of visual input, perception sensor kit, control signals, programming and debugging

Support for three independent displays with resolution up to 5K

Rich networking and expansion, including two 2.5 GbE interfaces, support for time-sensitive networking (TSN) and Intel vPro

3 M.2 expansion slots (2 x M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0, 1 x PCIe 5.0), supporting high-speed NVMe storage as well as video transcoding, acquisition or xPU accelerator cards

Other components, such as smart fans, TPM 2.0 and audio systems for voice communications

IoT edge applications like mobile service robots are made up of many different applications and functions, and Advantech embedded single-board computers have been compatibility tested and certified for use with Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux distribution, enabling containerized application development. Each container has its own system image, so mobile service robot programs can be coded without relying on or worrying about other system requirements. This reduces development time and complexity and speeds up compliance work because changes to each container can typically be certified separately once the entire system is approved.

Integration is further simplified by tools such as Advantech iManager 3.0, which provides APIs for controlling the user’s operating system I/O. Advantech’s Edge AI Suite and DeviceOn go a step further and provide a user-friendly SDK based on the Intel OpenVINO toolkit, enabling engineers to optimize deep learning models and deploy them to 12th generation Intel Core processor.

Mobile service robots: out of the factory and into the home

In short, platforms like the MIO-4370 are more than just controllers for smart robots, they are the cornerstone of smart mobile service robots, with higher performance, lower power, faster development, and more cost-effectiveness than ever before. In short, these integrated solutions are a prerequisite for scaling smart mobile service robots for mass production. The future of having your own “Rosey” will not just be for a few people, and thanks to a highly integrated development environment, the future is closer than you think.
Related product recommendations:
Honeywell CC-GDIL01 51306317-175
Omron HL-5030
Siemens 6ES7 313-6BE01-0AB0
Yaskawa NX100 NXC025-1
Yaskawa NX100 NXC025-1
Honeywell 51105244-100
Honeywell Power Supply 900P01-0001
Honeywell 4DP7APXDH-244
ABB DSQC539
Fanuc A06B-6102-H230-H520
GE IC695PSA140E RX3i
BASLER Electric DECS-250
Allied Telesis AT-FS710/16 
ABB AC800F 3BDH000011R1 SA801F 3BDH000011R1
ABB 3EHL409300R0001 PPB626 B01
ABB IRB 2600-3HAC034644-003: DSQC431 3HAC036260-001/04
SIEMENS 6SE7012-0TP50-Z C23+G91+K80
Prosoft MVI69-ADM C
ABB 3BHB005922R0001 UNS0880A-P
ABB PM861AK01 3BSE018157R1
HIMA F3349
Bently Nevada 330101-00-53-10-02-CN
Kawasaki P65E071E22 R320-0D42527
ABB 216NG63 HESG441635R1 HESG216877
More……