Avoiding damage to MOVO

This section describes steps to take to avoid potential damage to MOVO. Most of this is common sense, but it’s good to keep in mind.

While using MOVO, some basic guidelines should be observed to avoid damage to the equipment.

General guidelines:

• Don’t operate MOVO outdoors.
• Don’t operate MOVO near the top of a stairway or near a ledge.
• When operating on a ramp, lower the height to keep the center of gravity low. Supervise to be sure MOVO doesn’t go off the edge of the ramp.

• Avoid running MOVO over cables or ropes or over surfaces with sand or dirt to avoid debris or objects getting caught in the treads of the wheels.

• Don’t move MOVO laterally while it is plugged in for charging. It’s OK to move the arms and pan/tilt however.

• Familiarize yourself with the controls layout before operating MOVO manually with the joystick. Don’t let someone else who is not familiar control with the joystick. You could end up performing a movement you don’t want to do.

• If MOVO is used in an environment where there is not a mapping, there is a risk.

• Keep MOVO away from hazardous chemicals, open flames, sources of heat, or extremly hot or cold objects.

• Be careful operating MOVO around objects that could be knocked over if hit by MOVO.

Avoiding damage to the robotic arms and grippers:

• Be careful of collisions of the arms with objects and surfaces (there is no pre-set collision avoidance or detection for the arms).
• Be careful of collisions of one arm with the other when moving one or both of the arms (The arms are not aware of the other arm’s orientation).
• The maximum load for each arm is 2 kg. Avoid lifting heavy objects close to the load limitations.
• Be careful handling liquids with the arms.
• Don’t use the arms to lift extremely hot or cold objects or open containers with corrosive or otherwise hazardous liquids.
• When moving MOVO around laterally using the motion base, be aware of the arm position. For example, when passing through a door or narrow passageway, the arms should be kept close to the body of MOVO to avoid collisions of the arms with the sides of the opening. There are no default internal mechanisms to detect such collisions.

Avoiding damage to onboard computers and electrical equipment:

• Avoid spilling liquids on MOVO. If you spill liquids on MOVO, use the E-Stop to power off MOVO, try to wipe the liquid from off of MOVO, and allow MOVO to dry before use. Contact Kinova customer support for advice.
• Keep MOVO’s battery charged. Avoid deep discharge of the batteries, as this could cause damage to the batteries.
• Ground yourself or use a grounded ESD bracelet before touching MOVO internals.
• Check regularly for cracking or damage to the power cables and power supply.

Parent topic: Personal safety and security of MOVO