We aim to become the best Indian brand in mobile robotics.

We specialize in indigenous designing and development, which makes us self-reliant and economically competitive.

- Rohit Dashrathi, Managing Director, Rucha Yantra LLP

A tech startup comprised of inspired young engineers working in the field of mobile robotics, Yantra LLP has already created a niche in designing & development as well as manufacturing of mobile robotic systems for industrial and commercial applications. With the launch of RAGHAV & VAMEN, the firm has kicked off a new series of Adaptable Auto Guided Vehicles for autonomous material handling. Construction Times reaches out to the young founder, Rohit Dashrathi who shares his views on the scope and potential of robotics in logistics space and also about the company's ambitious plans in this space. Excerpts from the interview…

How do you assess the scope and potential for mobile robotics for the warehousing segment - the size of the market and expected CAGR?

I am highly optimistic about the warehouse robotics market. The forecast numbers are certainly encouraging. I believe, based on numerous market reports, the global market for warehouse robotics is expected to cross USD 6 billion by 2025, with a CAGR of 11%.

There is a rising demand due to the rise in the e-commerce industry; one of the high costs is warehouse management. For other sectors, there is an increasing need to automate the distribution centers to attain efficiency, reduce turnaround times, and reduce labor-intensive tasks. Additionally, the pandemic, too, has thrown new challenges at companies concerning finances and managing huge workforce. They will undoubtedly look to adopt robots to address such challenges from now on. I am positive about the Indian market, particularly given the government's rising focus on digital revolution and next-gen technologies.

What are the trends in terms of integrating advanced technology and embedded sensors to ensure extreme accuracy not only on the warehouse floor but also in ERPs and external software with the help of Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

Next-gen technologies are certainly adding immense value to a shop-floor. We are also driving our R&D efforts toward using AI, IoT, etc., to deliver amazing benefits to our customers. We recently enabled our AGVs for complete remote monitoring and maintenance with the help of IoT devices. Now, we can keep track of AGVs on client sites remotely and address service issues as well, thus, reducing inconvenience and costs for the end-user.

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is disrupting many industries by automating processes, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency. Some of the major areas of applications include inventory control, predictive and preventive maintenance, internal or external logistics management, etc. ERP systems, too, are being equipped with intelligent RPA to automate repetitive tasks requiring huge man-hours. With AI and Deep Learning as the backbone, RPAs today are becoming excellent decision-makers.

Could you throw some light on the latest solutions developed and being offered by YantraLLP for warehousing segment?  

Warehousing has been a key area of focus for us. Over the years, we have seen a rise in demand for optimum warehousing solutions due to the shift toward e-commerce; the Covid-19 situation has further aided this. For warehousing companies, transporting bulky material within a warehouse is a manual and tedious task. Even with the use of forklifts or pallets, it becomes a very time-consuming job. Robots / AGVs make the difference by working autonomously without any manual intervention.

We have developed Vamen, especially to meet the needs of warehousing customers. It is a tunnel type and Flat Bed AGV that slides under a trolley and lifts it without manual help. Picking and placing of pallets, carts, or trolleys happen automatically. It can work at heights as low as 300 mm and carry up to 500 kgs of load without any hooking or tying. We strived to make 100% automation possible with Vamen, thus, saving invaluable man-hours and effort.

How has the pandemic opened up new avenues of solutions in mobile robotics applications?

The pandemic has certainly opened everyone's eyes to a host of new applications for mobile robotics. Mobile robotics is seen as a potential value addition to any business where transport is either a requirement or a means to achieve a business goal. Take, for example, the e-commerce industry where 'courier bots' can be deployed for last-mile delivery or the construction industry where drones can be used for 3D mapping.

The most exciting push for mobile robotics, though, has been into the healthcare facilities and restaurants. Given the need to reduce human contact and restrict infection spread, robots or AGVs can be deployed for sanitation, UV disinfection, fogging, food and medicine delivery, fulfilling orders in restaurants, etc.

Could you tell us the transformative impact of IoT, AI, etc., on robotics and especially in the navigational part of it?

IoT, AI, and other next-gen technologies have been critical value additions to robot navigation. IoT brings in the most crucial aspect of data recording. It provides location, speed, hindrances in motion, error etc. among various data points. These can be used to navigate the robot accurately on a shop-floor. AI, especially when it is integrated with Machine Vision, proves to be extremely beneficial. VSLAM (visual SLAM) combines camera and LIDAR readings to render a highly precise map of the environment, making navigation accurate. Algorithms like Random Forest and Decision Trees are highly used in industrial settings, while Support Vector Machines (SVM) are used in the autonomous driving of robots in a highly dynamic setting. Machine Vision provides a detailed understanding of unstructured and dynamic environments to make easy navigation.

How do you ensure a safe and trouble-free movement of goods and navigation in the products you offer?

Safety is a top priority for our products. VAMEN can navigate based on colored path guidance or SLAM based natural navigation. Both of these require minimal changes to the shop-floor. It deploys collision detection sensors at the front and rear sides to ensure 360-degree protection. Material carriage becomes less dangerous, and workers' safety is ensured.

What are the major challenges in the faster development and adoption of robotics solutions?

The first and foremost challenge is cost. Today, the robots or AGVs available in the market are very expensive; mainly because manufacturers put in complex features that are unnecessary to the customers. We, on the other hand, focus on delivering exactly what they need. Secondly, the size of the AGVs matters. Large AGVs that take up much space are not easy to operate. Our AGVs are petite and work in confined spaces. Being a complex technology product, after-sales support is critical, and the more the customers get it, the more they will be satisfied.

Which are the major verticals that drive the demand for robotics? 

The significant industries driving demand are e-commerce with huge warehousing requirements and large quantities to move around. Also, we see greater acceptance in the manufacturing industry (automobile, textile, etc.) as companies try to make warehousing cost-effective.

Could you brief us on your R&D and what are the new solutions you are excited about?

Being an R&D driven organization, we are trying to solve new challenges every single day. Among a host of things that we are currently working on, I'm particularly excited about two. First, we are developing SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) based natural navigation capabilities for our robots, enabling them to build their own maps of the warehouse as they move. This ensures zero additional guidance infrastructure to be built and minimal change to the facility, thus, reducing investment.

Secondly, we are trying to solve outdoor material handling issues, which is relatively untouched compared to indoor material handling. Unique and dynamic conditions such as slopes, rough surfaces, and speed breakers make the activity quite challenging.

RAGHAV S2S is our ambitious effort to address such challenges. It is a project given to us by Bajaj Auto Limited, India. At one of their manufacturing shops, Bajaj Auto employs 135 drivers for transporting 3-wheelers from the assembly section to the FG storage. Apart from the challenges faced in travel paths like speed breakers, ongoing traffic, and extreme weather conditions, a large workforce also leads to persistent safety problems.  RAGHAV S2S provides an autonomous alternativethat effectively transports material outdoors without manual intervention.

What is your assessment on competition in this field - from within the country and out of the country - and what differentiate YantraLLP?

Honestly, I see competition as a very positive thing for the market overall. It's a sign that our products are getting more acceptance, and customers are willing to invest in such tech-enabled products. The more the competition grows, the higher our motivation!

We have always tried to make our products extremely easy to install and maintain, requiring minimal shop floor changes. Secondly, we design the AGVs to match the exact customer needs without unnecessary features, making them cost-effective for customers. Adding to these, I believe what makes us competitive is our focus on worker safety. Obstacle and collision detection capabilities in our product help eliminate any shop-floor accidents.

How do you foresee the future trends, and also throw some light on your roadmap? 

As our mission and vision statement states, we aim to become the best Indian brand in Mobile Robotics. In essence, we want to be the ‘One Plus' of this space, providing simple yet awesome high-tech solutions at highly affordable costs. We want to compete with the global leaders in material handling going forward.

By 2025, we plan to attract seed funding for disruptive product development and marketing initiatives to touch revenues of 200 crore. Moving into other industries like defense and healthcare and even overseas expansion also makes up our to-do list. Long term, I am personally looking forward to material transport through aerial robotics also. It makes for an exciting proposition!

BOX

Yantra started its journey the same way most startups do. In the house basement! During an internship, I witnessed a couple of casual labourers struggling to push a sizeable heavily-loaded trolley. One of them couldn't see beyond the trolley and ended up colliding against a wall. Apart from the damage to the goods, the man sustained a severe injury. That incident kept nagging me for long; I felt it was necessary to find an alternative to such a painful, potentially dangerous, and unavoidable activity. That's when I got going with a Lego kit and tried to develop a line follower robot's prototype in the basement. I was delighted to find more like-minded individuals joining the effort, and thus, we formed Yantra!

Through the years, we have built a team of young, inspired engineers who love working in robotics and strive to achieve excellence every day. We have stuck to being an R&D driven organization, at the core that develops mobile robotics products for commercial and industrial requirements.

I believe what has kept us in good books of our customers is delivering exactly what they need. We develop standard as well as tailor-made products to suit customer needs. Moreover, we focus on designing user-friendly minimalistic robots with no complicated features to be dealt with and no unnecessary additional costs. We specialize in indigenous designing and development, which makes us self-reliant and economically competitive.

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