Contribution to the Development of a Modular and Adaptable Autonomous Mobile Robot

Abstract

This master’s thesis was carried out during an 80-day industrial internship at Cilyx, a Belgian engineering company developing Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) for industrial and pharmaceutical environments. The work contributed to key stages of the development cycle of a first AMR prototype, spanning the initial state of the art, mechanical design, hardware selection, and engineering validation analyses. A structured review of the core technologies underlying AMR operation was first presented, covering localization methods (odometry, sensor fusion, SLAM) and path planning algorithms, including the Elastic Band approach. Based on this analysis, available market solutions were evaluated, leading to the selection of the Siemens SIMOVE platform as the most suitable technology for navigation, fleet management, and safety integration. The hardware architecture was then defined in detail, covering the controller and I/O selection, the driving system based on ArgoDrive omnidirectional motors, the wireless communication infrastructure, the human-machine interface, and the safety systems. A full bill of materials was established for both POC 1 and POC 2. The mechanical design of POC 2 was carried out entirely in SolidWorks, resulting in a compact two-module architecture: a standard lower mobility module common to all future AMR variants, and an interchangeable upper module adaptable to client-specific requirements. Disassembly and maintainability were explicitly considered during the design phase. A set of engineering analyses was conducted to validate the design: static structural simulations confirmed mechanical integrity under the applied load cases; a parametric stability analysis tool was developed to evaluate tipping risk during cobot motion and base displacement; and parametric energy and thermal models were built to facilitate reuse by Cilyx engineers for future configurations. Finally, the applicable regulatory framework was reviewed, covering ISO, IEC, GMP, and pharmaceutical standards, as well as the specific requirements expressed by the targeted client environments. This regulatory mapping provides Cilyx with a structured basis for the certification process of future AMR deployments.