Tennant T380 Autonomous Mobile Robot | 2020

Designers: John Ickes, Tou Yia Thao, Grant Leacox, Tennant Industrial Design, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA
Manufacturer: Tennant Company, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA

The Tennant T380AMR is a robotic floor maintenance machine which can be operated manually or autonomously.

It takes the dull and dirty task of floor scrubbing and provides a solution that reduces the effort while improving the quality and consistency of cleaning.

While the floors are cleaned autonomously, workers are freed up for other important tasks such as disinfecting commonly used surfaces to keep public spaces safe for those who share them.

Use: The T380AMR is easy to deploy as an autonomous floor cleaner. To switch the machine from manual to autonomous modes, the operator must first drive the machine to a QR code label that is placed within their facility. This QR code is scanned by the machine and is then defined as the starting point.

Next, the operator manually cleans their space while their actions are recorded. They complete the programming by returning to the starting point. This closes the loop and makes a map that can be repeated autonomously.

With the map created, the user gets off of the machine, closes the operator station safety barrier belts, and presses “go”. The machine will begin cleaning without assistance.

Sustainability: Cleaning has traditionally involved the use of chemicals which find their way into the environment. Studies show that operators very often misuse the chemical additives; adding much more of these pollutants to the machine than is required to achieve the proper clean.

The T380AMR features EC-H20, or electrically activated water. It provides outstanding cleaning efficacy with no toxicity to the environment as it very quickly reverts back to normal water.
The net result is a machine which is very kind to the environment and doesn’t require its users to purchase, handle, or measure chemicals.

Aesthetics: In designing a robotic machine there are many sensors & cameras to package in precise locations to provide the visibility which makes autonomous use possible.
In addition, these same sensors are expensive components that must be protected from damage and allowed to dissipate heat.

While considering these constraints, it is important that the overall design embrace Tennant’s visual brand language of “rugged, yet refined”.
Ruggedness is embodied through the prominent use of chamfers. An example is the lower chamfer wrapping around the side of the machine that helps the upper and lower tanks look cohesive while creating sufficient tank structure and visual guidance to hand pockets for maintenance access.

Refined is embodied through bending the chamfers along flowing lines that slowly fade out. The front shroud consists of these elements to convey a softer and sculpted appearance.
While the technology is emphasized through the central black band of the front shroud and its signature orange heat sink, the overall look of the machine is fully integrated.
Another important aesthetic element is color. Color is utilized to draw the operator’s attention to or away from certain components.

Yellow touch points are utilized at key maintenance interface points to aid in training and ease of use. Black is used for the lower functional guard to de-emphasize its appearance and mass.
This guard runs in front of the machine to prevent debris such as cardboard or pallet chips from clogging the machine or getting caught behind the squeegee and leaving streaks when working autonomously.