Industrial PC for Autonomous Mobile Robots

"We need a We Want High Performance Industrial PC for Autonomous Mobile Robots"

Computing Type

Edge Computing

Product

EC70A-SU Series

Brand

Industry

Robotics

A UK robotics manufacturer approached Relec with a clear brief: they needed a powerful, compact, and reliable computing system to act as the “brain” of their new autonomous mobile robot platform. These autonomous mobile robots would be deployed in warehouses, manufacturing plants, and healthcare facilities, where 24/7 reliability, seamless sensor integration, and wireless connectivity were non-negotiable.

Originally, the customer had been using a consumer-grade Intel® NUC platform. While it ticked some boxes in terms of size and processing power, it fell short when exposed to industrial-grade vibration, limited I/O for sensors, and temperature fluctuations.

Relec recommended the DFI EC70A-SU Series, a compact fanless embedded computer based on Intel® Core™ i7/i5/i3 processors.

More than just a box-ticker, this model offered:

Wide-range I/O for depth cameras, LiDAR, motor drivers, and ultrasonic sensors
Fanless, industrial-grade construction, suited to harsh conditions
Low power consumption, ideal for battery-powered mobile platforms
x86 architecture, for easier integration with existing software stacks
Wireless network compatibility, enabling remote monitoring and updates

But Relec didn’t stop at shipping a product.

Thermal Advice: Using test data and deployment drawings, we advised on mounting orientation and cooling strategies to extend hardware longevity in enclosed robot chassis.

Delivery Coordination: With production in multiple countries, we arranged flexible batch delivery windows and consolidated shipments to reduce import costs and delays.

Long-Term Support: Relec’s team provided full documentation and roadmap assurance to ensure the chosen platform would be supported throughout the life of the autonomous mobile robot system.

With Relec’s help, the customer rolled out five autonomous mobile robot variants ranging from 100kg to 1000kg payloads, each using the DFI EC70A-SU platform.

Performance gains were immediate:

Extended runtime per charge (up to 10 hours)
Stable performance even under heavy vibration and temperature shifts
Zero downtime during initial field trials
Faster development cycles thanks to out-of-the-box sensor and GUI integration

The customer has since standardised the DFI EC70A-SU industrial PC for autonomous mobile robots as its go-to compute module across their autonomous mobile robot line, and now considers Relec as a technical partner, not just a supplier.