As mobile robot fleets grow, charging choices can affect more than battery runtime. They can influence fleet uptime, facility infrastructure, maintenance needs and the battery capacity required for each robot, according to Ben Waters, CEO of wireless charging company WiBotic.
In an interview with The Robot Report Podcast, Waters discussed opportunity charging: placing chargers where robots naturally pause during their work, rather than relying only on dedicated charging stations. Short charging periods can add energy over time and help robots remain in their operating loops instead of making separate trips across a facility.
Waters said the fixed-station approach can become a bottleneck as fleets expand, even when they consist of 20 to 40 robots. He argued that wireless charging is well suited to opportunity charging because frequent contact-based charging could increase maintenance demands.
He also urged companies to consider charging as part of system design. Teams should assess where electrical outlets are located, whether they can supply enough power for the planned chargers, and what battery capacity they actually need. Fast charging and longer runtime can involve tradeoffs, Waters said, and a larger battery may add cost if the deployment’s charging strategy does not require it. He also raised the importance of checking with battery manufacturers about how frequent high-power charging could affect battery life.
Waters said WiBotic has expanded into areas including floor care, medical carts, space and defense, while demand for robot charging has also grown in automotive mobile robots and outdoor inspection. He noted wireless charging’s potential in humanoid robots, where reducing downtime and limiting added weight are relevant considerations.
On product development, Waters said WiBotic has introduced an IP65-rated version of its 1 kW charger for applications exposed to water and dust, including outdoor robotics and floor care. The company is also working on smaller, lighter, high-power systems for drones and humanoids, and on increasing the power of its products to 3 kW.
Sources: The Robot Report.