Safety Features
This user manual section provides essential information regarding the physical safety features of Burro Grande, ensuring safe and effective operation.
Physical Safety Features
Bumper Bar/Safety Edge
The Bumper Bar/Safety Edge is a critical safety feature designed to ensure the immediate halting of Burro Grande in the event of a collision.
If the bumper bar is hit on either side (front or back), it will trigger a hard stop, causing the brakes to engage immediately.
If the bumper bar is not being actively pressed, the brakes can be disengaged by:
- Pressing the black forward (FWD) or white reverse (REV) buttons on either the Front or Rear button box panels.
- Pressing any direction on the manual control screen.
Stop Button (Red Button on Front & Rear Button Boxes)
The Stop Button serves as an additional safety mechanism to halt Burro Grande’s movement. If the red stop button is pressed on either side, it will also trigger a hard stop, causing the brakes to engage immediately.
If the stop button is not actively pressed, the brakes can be disengaged by:
- Pressing the black forward (FWD) or white reverse (REV) buttons on either the Front or Rear button box panels.
- Pressing any direction on the manual control screen.
Pressing either the bumper bar/safety edge or the red stop button ONLY stops Burro from moving. It does not alter the status of the autonomous mode currently in use (e.g., Person Follow mode will remain ‘active’).
If Burro gets stuck against an object (e.g., if it runs into a wall), and the bumper bar/safety edge or red stop button are actively being pressed, the brakes will NOT be able to disengage using the methods stated above. However, after 10 seconds, Burro will detect that the bumper bar is being actively pressed, allowing the brakes to disengage using either method. Only attempt this if it is safe to do so. If it is NOT safe to manually move Burro while it is pinned against something, a forklift or other heavy equipment may be required to move Burro. Notify your BURRO representative immediately of the incident.
Autonomy Safety Features
Burro Grande is equipped with advanced vision and LiDAR systems that assess its environment to identify obstacles and traversable paths. Users must understand the limitations of these autonomous safety features based on different modes of operation.
Manual Control
Manual Control does NOT utilize obstacle detection; it WILL move in whatever direction you are actively pressing.
Person Follow Mode
In Person Follow mode, Burro Grande actively attempts to follow the designated individual while recognizing other people as obstacles.
Caution: In Reverse Person Follow mode, the performance of obstacle handling is significantly hindered due to the LiDAR being out of position for that direction of travel. It is advisable to treat this mode as if Burro has no reliable obstacle handling.
Autonomous Navigation Modes
In modes such as Row Navigation, Row to Row, Route to Row, and Destination-based Navigation, Burro Grande’s obstacle detection is optimized for forward movement.
Exercise extra caution when navigating in reverse, as the obstacle handling capabilities may be reduced.
While Burro is in motion, it can be stopped momentarily if an obstacle is detected in its path. Removing this obstacle will allow Burro to automatically resume motion once the path is clear. At any time while Burro is stopped due to an obstacle detection, pressing the black forward (FWD) button (on either the Front or Rear button box panels) will temporarily disable obstacle handling for a distance of 1 meter. Use caution, as Burro WILL continue its motion in the forward direction if still set in an autonomous mode with a valid path.
Visual and Audio Cues
Burro Grande is equipped with visual and audio indicators to communicate its status:
Visual Cues
- Flashing ONCE repeatedly: Indicates that Burro has been stopped by either the bumper bar or the red stop button.
- Flashing TWICE repeatedly: Indicates that Burro’s autonomous motion has been halted due to prolonged obstacle detection.
Audio Cues
- Burro will beep repeatedly if its autonomous motion has been impeded by an obstacle or while in Person Follow mode.
Refer to the accompanying GIF on the Formant platform for a visual representation of Burro’s field of view.