Customers choose our Fullscope mobile heavy lift robot system because each replaces a minimum of two to five human workers per 24-hour shift. No secret there. However, they also tell me that they are delighted — and sometimes a bit surprised — as to how much money the system saves. The elimination of expensive fixed robots at the end of each production line and the reduction of workers compensation payments based on reduced injuries are the main reasons why.

The price of a “dumb” or stationary robot at the end of a production line largely depends on its lift capacity. A large fixed robot lifting from 20kg (44lbs) to 80kg (176lbs) costs approximately $80,000. Installation costs likely double the amount. Then there’s the cost of the conveyor system that moves material. And the safety cage built around the system. So the full cost of a stationary robot is well north of $200,000 all in. That, to be clear, is for a device whose sole mission is dropping an item into a container, one-at-a-time. Plunk. Plunk. Plunk.

Contrast that with Black-I’s Fullscope mobile system, dynamically picking payloads as heavy as 100 lbs from shelves, racks, etc., and rapidly building standard or mixed pallets, and moving them rapidly across the aisle or across the entire warehouse as directed. Doing so 24-hours a day, 7-days-a-week based on our revolutionary patented battery cycle technology. And, finally, protecting anything that gets in its way — most especially humans –based on our built-in safety shield.

A similar million-dollar advantage of our mobile system is a significant decline in injuries and, consequently, worker compensation claims, lawsuits and government inquiries.

OSHA’s research demonstrates the toll even a single injury takes on profits. A fracture on the warehouse floor, according to OSHA studies, averages $54,856 in direct costs and $60,341 in indirect costs, or a total of $115,195, most of which could have dropped to the bottom line. So a company operating at a three percent profit margin would have to make an additional $2,011,360 in sales to cover the direct cost and $3,839,900 to cover the full cost. That’s for a single injury! Integral to the Fullscope system, highly advanced vision and path planning applications establish a secure perimeter around our robot as it moves in order to eliminate virtually all incidents related to safety.  That, of course, has another advantage — boosting employee morale. It’s hard to quantify, but a safe and secure workforce is obviously more productive than one that isn’t.

Clearly, there is no comparison when comparing a stationary robot to a Fullscope autonomous mobile robot when it comes to savings. Those savings are reflected in higher profits and a return on investment that is hard to beat.