Ubiquity Robotics’ Magni Is a Practical Robot Designed for Heavy Payloads

If you have a need for a robot, there are many platforms on the market that make it relatively easy to build your own. But, the vast majority of them are small and can’t carry much weight. They’re generally intended to hold sensors—and not much else. But, Ubiquity Robotics wants to change that with their Magni robot.

Ubiquity Robotics is pushing the Magni as a platform on which you can build your robot in just hours. But, the real selling point—and what sets it apart from its competitors—is the high payload capacity. Out of the box, it’s capable of carrying 100kg (about 220lbs). It can run for eight hours on the standard 10Ah battery, and 24 hours if you upgrade to a 32Ah battery.

Also on offer is Loki, which is a more traditional robot development platform that has a mere 250g payload. Both Magni and Loki run ROS (Robot Operating System), which should be familiar to a lot of people who work with robots. They claim Magni “allows you to complete your robot project 2 years faster, $500K cheaper, and without a large multi-disciplinary technical team.” That’s a pretty big promise, but Magni certainly seems practical.

If you want to get a Magni or Loki, you can head over to the Indiegogo crowdfunding page. The Magni Silver package costs $999, and Loki Bronze is $99 for early birds. Both should start shipping in October.