Reply Shapes the Future of Autonomous Mobile Robots with the Power of Microsoft Azure
6.7.2021 10:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Reply announced today that it has developed an end-to-end solution architecture for autonomous mobile robots (AMR) on Microsoft Azure that enables new business applications across industries, reduces upfront costs and allows for the rapid implementation of customer-specific robotics use cases.
The solution combines Microsoft Azure services, the agility of Boston Dynamics' SPOT and Reply’s knowledge of intelligent cloud computing services, edge computing and artificial intelligence. To demonstrate the capabilities of a scalable and versatile robotics platform, Reply implemented an automated vehicle-damage-detection solution for rental or leasing companies that leverages this architecture. In fact, rental or leasing companies must inspect vehicles for any damage after they are returned in order to ensure the safety and quality of their fleet for their customers. This is usually done in the time- and cost-consuming manual process of walking around the car, visually inspecting it, assessing the severity of the damage and conducting a damage report.
Reply integrates Azure Cognitive Services, Machine Learning and DevOps as well as Power Apps and Power BI. Thanks to Azure's intelligent service foundation, agile workflows and machine learning, this process can be fully automated. Using computer vision, SPOT moves freely through the parking area and scans the license plates to find the right vehicle. Once detected, it walks around the vehicle to record its condition by continuously collecting visual data with its camera and sensors. This information is processed “on the edge” or transmitted to the cloud, where advanced image recognition and machine leaning algorithms perform the damage detection. All detected damages are saved in the return protocol, and they can be presented to the customer and the fleet manager for approval.
“This platform sets the power of Microsoft Azure on the move by bringing it from the Cloud to the Edge and into highly advanced mobile robotic devices, giving them the autonomy to unlock novel business use cases. Thanks to the agile reference architecture, we are able to implement customer-specific use cases in various industries that include all types of mobile robots or drones”, comments Filippo Rizzante, CTO Reply.
“Reply is a long-term, trusted partner in delivering Azure IoT solutions, and we’re delighted to continue our collaboration on this new scalable robotics offering. By leveraging Microsoft Azure, we can help accelerate this transformation by making it easier for businesses to bring AI and analytics capabilities to these autonomous systems in a consistent and secure way,” adds Lakecia Gunter, Vice President and GM, Global IOT Channel at Microsoft.
With their agility, autonomous mobile robots (AMR) are able to move independently from a central infrastructure on terrain that is not traditionally designed for robots. They can be used in hazardous environments and environments, that are harmful to people. According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global market for automated guided vehicle (AGV) and AMR is expected to reach $13.2 Billion by 2026 with a growth rate of around 35%. Both AGVs and AMRs collectively are going to cross the installed base of 1.5 Million in the next 5 years to make mobile robots a new normal in our day-to-day operational activities.
Reply
Reply [MTA, STAR: REY, ISIN: IT0005282865] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. As a network of highly specialised companies, Reply defines and develops business models enabled by the new models of AI, big data, cloud computing, digital media and the internet of things. Reply delivers consulting, system integration and digital services to organisations across the telecom and media; industry and services; banking and insurance; and public sectors. www.reply.com
Source Global Mobile Robots (AGV & AMR) Market:
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210706005133/en/
Contact information
Media
Reply
Fabio Zappelli
f.zappelli@reply.com
Tel. +390117711594
Sandra Dennhardt
s.dennhardt@reply.com
+49 170 454 62 29
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Vasion Ⓡ Enhances Global Partner Program to Accelerate AI-Powered Automation24.9.2026 17:05:00 EEST | Press release
VasionⓇ, the Intelligent Print Automation platform trusted by more than 14,000 organizations worldwide, today unveiled a comprehensive refresh of its Global Partner Program. The program delivers the resources partners expect from Vasion: always-on incentives, structured onboarding, elevated enablement, and a rebuilt portal experience, all engineered to help partners scale, compete, and deliver stronger customer outcomes as agentic AI reshapes how enterprises automate work. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924791639/en/ Agentic print and document workflow environments remain an overlooked channel opportunity, as enterprises race toward agentic automation. IDC forecasts that by 2026, 40% of all Global 2000 job roles will involve working with AI agents, redefining long-held traditional entry-level, mid-level, and senior-level positions [1]. IDC's research points to this new class of AI reshaping not just how fa
The Only AI Crypto Lead Prioritization Solution Built With Law Enforcement, for Law Enforcement: Elliptic Launches Pulse24.9.2026 16:15:00 EEST | Press release
Elliptic, the global leader in on-chain risk, today launched Pulse. Pulse puts crypto lead prioritization directly in the hands of every frontline law enforcement and government officer. Crypto now touches every part of law enforcement, from the patrol officer on the street to the detective assigned to investigate the case. Pulse gives each of them a quick, accurate financial summary and a starting point: whether that's a crypto address on a suspect's phone, in a scam ATM victim's receipt, uncovered during a vehicle or pocket search, or found at the scene of an overdose, an arrest, or a seizure. An officer can input anything that looks like a wallet address or transaction hash. Pulse identifies it, reasons over the result, and returns a summary in plain language, enough for the officer to decide on the spot whether the case needs escalation. If a case needs further investigation, one click sends the full analysis forward, not just the evidence. The criminal investigations division gets
SymphonyAI Introduces Symphony Risk Intelligence, an Agent-native Platform That Unlocks Always-on Compliance™ — the Catalyst for Transforming the Financial Crime Operating Model24.9.2026 16:04:00 EEST | Press release
SymphonyAI today introduced Symphony Risk Intelligence (SRI), an enterprise-grade, agent-native platform built to unlock Always-on Compliance™. This is a critical shift from periodic to continuous risk and compliance management, in which institutions continuously reassess risk and adapt controls as regulations, threats and business activity change, rather than waiting for the next scheduled review. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924914614/en/ Current approaches have reached their structural limits. The FinCrime Frontier 2026–27 Report, released recently by SymphonyAI and AML Intelligence, finds just 4.7% of financial institutions continuously update their compliance monitoring and controls as risk changes, and 76.3% still review alerts manually or with only partial automation — barely changed year over year. Yet standing still isn't an option: the regulatory climate is at a major inflection point across ev
Just 4.7% of Financial Institutions Continuously Update Their Compliance Monitoring and Controls as Risk Changes, New Research Finds24.9.2026 16:04:00 EEST | Press release
SymphonyAI, a global leader in vertical AI product platforms, and AML Intelligence, the leading source of news and insight for the financial crime compliance community, today released the FinCrime Frontier 2026–27 Report, finding that most financial institutions still rely on periodic review cycles to manage financial crime risk, even as the threats and regulations they are meant to track continue to evolve dynamically. Based on the perspectives of more than 200 financial crime and compliance leaders, including senior leaders from major global financial institutions, the research finds that just 4.7% of financial institutions continuously update their compliance monitoring and controls as risk changes, while 56.8% have not adopted always-on compliance monitoring at all, are only exploring it, or remain at an early, pilot-stage level. The finding points to a structural gap: financial crime typologies, payment ecosystems and regulatory expectations are evolving continuously, while most c
Boomi Appoints Mike Hickman as Chief Financial Officer24.9.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Boomi, the data activation company for AI, today announced the appointment of Mike Hickman as Chief Financial Officer. Hickman will lead Boomi's global finance and accounting organization, spanning financial planning and analysis, accounting, treasury, tax, and financial reporting. He reports to Boomi Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Steve Lucas. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924761566/en/ Boomi Appoints Mike Hickman as Chief Financial Officer Hickman brings three decades of senior finance leadership in high-growth SaaS and technology companies, with experience across the full corporate lifecycle: scaling through IPO, executing a take-private, and integrating large acquisitions. He joins from Proofpoint, where he spent seven and a half years, most recently as Senior Vice President of Finance, helping guide the company through its $12.3 billion take-private and the $1.8 billion acquisition of Hornetsec
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom