10 November 2025 | Interaction | By editor@rbnpress.com
In this interview, Robotics Business News sits down with Aftab Khan, SVP of Core Hardware Engineering at Symbotic, to explore how Nyobolt’s next-generation battery technology is reshaping the capabilities of SymBot robots. Khan discusses the engineering drivers behind the upgrade, its expected impact on warehouse productivity, and how this advancement supports Symbotic’s broader vision for autonomous mobile robotics.
How will the new Nyobolt battery technology impact SymBot robot performance in terms of speed, uptime, and payload handling?
The new battery technology significantly enhances the performance of our SymBot™ mobile robots in multiple ways.
For one, Nyobolt’s battery technology increases energy availability with six times more capacity for our robots. This means the bots can do substantially more work, be teleoperated for longer, and travel significantly further between charges than is possible today. The battery is also 40 percent lighter compared to the ultracapacitors used in our mobile robots today, meaning our SymBots can bear a heavier payload.
Additionally, unlike the ultracapacitors integrated in previous generations of our SymBots, the new batteries consistently deliver high voltage even as their charge decreases, helping to ensure optimal performance and useability for longer.
What challenges did you face with previous battery solutions that prompted this collaboration with Nyobolt?
As Symbotic continues to transform warehouse automation, we’re on a constant mission to improve the performance, durability, and efficiency of our solutions. While our ultracapacitors have been instrumental in enabling our warehouse systems, we knew that improved battery technology would unlock the future, enabling us to continue developing and deploying additional capabilities and new, advanced technologies that will make our autonomous mobile robots smarter, more durable, and more productive.
How will retrofitting existing SymBot fleets with the new battery be managed operationally?
The new power supply is retrofit-compatible with previous generation SymBot mobile robots, and can be updated as part of regular maintenance. In addition, the new battery technology is backwards-compatible with the existing Symbotic system charging infrastructure.
How do you anticipate this battery upgrade affecting warehouse productivity and efficiency metrics?
The new battery technology is expected to significantly reduce the number of charging stops needed during operations. Additionally, we expect the new technology to increase sites’ resilience to power-related disruptions, such as inclement weather and grid interruptions: the solution has six times more energy capacity compared to the ultracapacitors used in SymBot mobile robots today, and will be much more efficient at retaining its existing charge in the event of a power outage.
The new technology will also enable more time for remote teleoperations and minimize the need for manual intervention at sites.
Lastly, we expect the technology to deliver a meaningful reduction in robot energy consumption, contributing to greater overall warehouse productivity and efficiency.
Are there plans to introduce new robot models or functionalities that leverage this improved energy technology?
We will certainly look to leverage this new and improved energy technology whenever we can improve the value proposition for our customers. As mentioned before, we see improvements in battery power as key to unlocking future innovation, as we continue to develop and deploy additional capabilities for our SymBots. This is another step forward in our vision to reimagine the supply chain, and will further enhance the benefits of the Symbotic System for our customers.
How will Symbotic monitor and optimize the performance of robots with the new batteries over time?
At Symbotic, we’re dedicated to continuous improvement and have in place numerous tools to ensure our mobile robots are consistently operating at the highest possible standards.
The performance of every SymBot is carefully monitored and analyzed by our team to identify opportunities for performance optimization. Using these insights, we continuously refine and improve our systems to achieve the utmost operational efficiency. Some of the key performance indicators we evaluate include throughput, transaction times, and recovery times. With the new technology, we look forward to monitoring improvements to teleoperations and recovery from site power outages.
How does this collaboration fit into Symbotic’s long-term vision for autonomous mobile robotics in logistics?
This is another step forward in our vision to reimagine the supply chain and deliver a full, end-to-end warehouse solution that meets our customers’ evolving needs. We’re always looking for ways to improve our system – and how we can innovate, develop, and deploy additional capabilities for the SymBot.
The integration of new battery technology from Nyobolt positions us at the forefront of battery innovation. By integrating Nyobolt’s cutting-edge battery technology, we expect to deliver ultrafast charging, superior energy density, longer battery life, and reduced weight across our Symbot fleet – and a greatly expanded capacity to add future sensors and compute.
Most importantly, all this will collectively deliver enhanced benefits and value to our customers.
