How to Choose the Right Robot Chassis for Industrial Automation? Key Metrics and Practical Guidelines

In the wave of Industry 4.0, robot chassis serve as the "mobile foundation" of automation systems. Their performance directly impacts logistics efficiency, production safety, and overall system stability. Whether in factory warehousing, medical transport, or smart retail, selecting the right robot chassis requires evaluating several key criteria. This article combines real-wlorld experience to break down the logic of chassis selection—and introduces proven market solutions.

1. Define Your Core Requirements: Backtrack from the Application Scenario

1.1 Load Capacity: Match the Workload

Light-duty (≤100kg):
Ideal for light material handling like electronics transport or food delivery. For instance, the Big Dog chassis, with a robust sheet-metal design, offers 100kg of stable payload capacity. It operates 24/7 in lithium battery factories, maintaining precision within ±2mm.

Medium-duty (100–300kg):
Suited for tasks such as hospital equipment delivery or shelf picking. The Fly Boat chassis supports up to 300kg and features dual 3D cameras for obstacle avoidance. In hospital environments, it improves medical delivery efficiency by over 30%.

Heavy-duty (≥300kg):
Perfect for automotive parts or heavy machinery transport. The Iron Bov chassis, with a max payload of 600kg and long-life LiFePo4 battery (16–20 hours), is widely used in car manufacturing. A single unit can replace the workload of 3–5 workers.

1.2 Navigation Technology: Determines Environmental Adaptability

• Laser SLAM: Best for complex indoor spaces (e.g., warehouse aisles). Uses 25–60m Lidar for centimeter-level accuracy. (e.g., Big Dog’s incremental mapping system).
• Visual Navigation (V-SLAM): Works well in stable lighting conditions like restaurants or hotels. Often paired with real-time obstacle detection (e.g., Moon Knight chassis with dual camera fusion).
• Hybrid Navigation: Ideal for outdoor or dynamic environments. Combining laser and vision-based sensors (e.g., Fly Boat’s sensor fusion) increases resistance to strong lighting interference by 50%.

2. Key Performance Metrics to Consider

2.1 Terrain Adaptability: From Smooth Floors to Rough Terrain

• Wheeled chassis: Great for flat indoor floors like tile or epoxy coatings. The Hot Wheel chassis with mecanum wheels offers 360° omnidirectional movement and a turning radius as small as 0.8m—ideal for tight corridors.
• Tracked or hybrid chassis: Designed for outdoor use, sloped surfaces, and muddy paths. Though slightly slower, they provide 70% better passability.

2.2 Energy & Maintenance: Focus on Long-Term Costs

• Battery Type: LiFePo4 batteries offer 50% longer lifespan than traditional lithium-ion options, with over 3,000 charge-discharge cycles—perfect for high-frequency operations.
• Auto-Charging: Supports automatic docking when power drops below 20%. Combined with smart dispatching, enables 24/7 unmanned operation.
• Modular Design: Motors, sensors, and key components can be swapped easily. This cuts maintenance time by 40%.

3. Real-World Case Studies: Industry-Specific Solutions

3.1 Manufacturing: Efficiency & Precision

A 3C electronics factory adopted the Big Dog chassis to automate material flow. Integrated with SLAM navigation and MES systems, the chassis enabled full automation from warehouse to production line. Delivery cycles were cut by 25%, and manual handling errors dropped from 1.2% to 0.15%.

3.2 Healthcare: Safety & Cleanliness First

At Philips Medical’s Shanghai facility, Fly Boat chassis equipped with disinfection modules handle cross-floor transport via elevator integration. Its antibacterial-treated surface meets GMP cleanroom standards, reducing infection risks.

3.3 Warehousing & Logistics: Handling High-Density Workflows

An e-commerce warehouse deployed a fleet of Iron Bov chassis, coordinated by an autonomous scheduling system. During peak sales events, shelf-picking efficiency increased by 40%, aisle congestion fell by 60%, and daily order throughput exceeded 100,000 units.

4. Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Ignoring Floor Load-Bearing Capacity: Heavy-duty chassis require surface testing to prevent sagging or slippage.
• Overlooking Software Compatibility: Choose chassis with support for open protocols like ROS and Modbus. (e.g., all Chassisworld models provide open SDKs to ease integration).
• Skipping Scenario Testing: Always conduct field testing in real-world conditions, like during peak human traffic, to verify obstacle avoidance speed (target ≤0.5s) and route efficiency.

5. Future Trends: From "Functional" to "Intelligent"

• AI-Powered Navigation: Deep learning algorithms enable predictive path planning, such as anticipating human movement. Transportation efficiency improves by another 15%.
• Green Energy: Hydrogen fuel cell chassis are entering pilot phases, offering 3x the endurance of lithium batteries—ideal for long-distance outdoor work.
• Cloud-Based Coordination: With 5G, large fleets can now work together via the cloud. Chassisworld’s cloud platform supports 100+ units operating simultaneously, with a 95% self-healing fault rate.

Conclusion

Choosing a robot chassis isn’t just about checking specs—it’s about solving real problems. From payload to navigation, from hardware to software, every decision should align with your specific use case.