WiBotic Releases New Chargers and Transmitters for Autonomous Mobile Robots and Drones

The Seattle-based WiBotic has introduced new chargers and transmitters for autonomous mobile robots and drones. The company specializes in advanced charging and power optimization solutions for aerial, mobile, marine, space and industrial robots. 

The company’s new lineup included its first passively cooled onboard charger and two transmitters that rely on the latest gallium nitride (GaN) technology from GaN Systems.

WiBotic’s New Lineup

Here is a deeper look at the new lineup: 

• OC-262 onboard charger: This is a passively cooled onboard charger that originally was developed for the Department of Defense. Due to customer demand, it is now being released on a wider scale. Passive cooling is useful in harsh environments that contain water, dust, dirt and corrosion, and the OC-262 is especially useful in the oil and gas, mining, construction, marine exploration and agricultural industries. The OC-262 has no moving parts, it provides up to 300W of power, and it supports all common robot battery chemistries. By pairing with a weatherproof receiver antenna, it is a complete outdoor system. There are two models of the OC-262. The ST model with IP20 rating is more open to the environment, while the WP model with IP67 rating is useful in outdoor or extreme environments.

• OC-150 onboard charger: The OC-150 onboard charger was designed for UAVs and smaller robots. Compact and lightweight, it delivers up to 150W of total power and up to 10A of current spending on the battery voltage. The output range of the OC-150 is 9V to 58.5V. 

• TR-150 transmitter: The TR-150 is a compact transmitter that relies on high-efficiency GaN transistors from GaN Systems Inc., which is a WiBotic partner. It is primarily used with the OC-150 onboard charger, but it supports all WiBotic OCs.  With the use of a GaN-driven power amplifier, it can provide up to 150W of power and has a 95% efficiency. 

 

• TR-300 transmitter: The TR-300 is also a compact wireless transmitter that relies on GaN Systems’ technology. Offering the same core benefits as the TR-150, the TR-300 differs in its ability to provide up to 300W of power when paired with the OC-262 or OC-301 onboard chargers. 

Paul Wiener is VP of Strategic Marketing at GaN Systems.

“These new products are just as exciting for GaN Systems as they are for WiBotic,” Wiener said. “We continue to believe the market for high-power wireless charging systems is going to explode in the coming years and companies like WiBotic are going to lead the way through the use of GaN technology.”

Commander Fleet Energy Management Software

WiBotic is also demonstrating its new Commander Fleet Energy Management software at the AUVSI Xponential show in Atlanta, GA on August 17th-19th. With the new software, lightweight WiBotic OCs can track and report on individual charge cycles, termination voltage, charge rate, and various other critical factors of the battery’s performance.

Ben Waters is CEO at WiBotic. 

“When it comes to power delivery for autonomous drones and mobile robots, it’s crucial to innovate with new technologies such as GaN to maximize efficiency,” said Waters. “These new products not only push that technical envelope but are also designed to survive in the most extreme operational conditions. And when used together with WiBotic software, they now let operators track and optimize the performance of individual batteries within large and diverse collections – whether charging is performed manually or fully autonomously.”