Tag Archives: Logistics

Autonomous robot with sensors can help carry heavy loads on just 2 wheels

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Some people are afraid that robots will one day take over all our jobs and render humans basically useless, at least in some industries. So far though, we’re not seeing a robot apocalypse just yet but we are seeing ways that these machines can actually help lighten the load for us. We’re seeing some advances in logistics and shipping that will be beneficial for workers rather than a threat to them. Robotic systems are being developed to create autonomous and more flexible machines to assist these cargo workers.

Designer: Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics

The evoBOT is an autonomous robot that can self-balance and help transport goods and packages, relieving workers of some of their heavy loads. It has undergone an entire evolution and has now turned into an agile and flexible robot ready to be the “buddy” to cargo workers. It doesn’t really look like your typical robot but more like a more advanced and futuristic looking trolley. It’s still in the prototyping stage so there aren’t much details when it comes to the maximum load it is able to carry.

What we do know is that this machine is able to stretch both its arms in order to lock in whatever it is carrying. It is also able to flex its legs on the floor in order to carry objects and even bend into a V-shape to carry said object between its legs as it moves towards its destination. It is able to do more than just the usual pushing and pulling that some existing machines are able to do. They are equipped with sensors to “eye” the objects that they will be carrying and it is also able to navigate its path in the space it is moving in.

The evoBOT is also designed to be space-saving and is also created to be lightweight, using the principle of inverse compound pendulum without external counterweight. The researchers at the institute also said that the robot is able to permanently balance itself so it can move on various surfaces, including sloped ones which may be found in a lot of warehouses and factories where something like this can be of great use.

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This omnidirectional robot capable of ferrying 150 kg load is made for autonomous home deliveries

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While Alibaba’s Xiaomanlv robots have delivered more than a million parcels and the Amazon Proteus warehouse robots for fulfillment centers, the scope for streamlining e-commerce packages is hugely unexplored. The smooth movement of logistics plays a pivotal role and the automated robotics involvement can be of huge advantage when we talk of huge volumes.

Into the picture comes the AgileX Robotics RANGER which is an unmanned platform for the movement of logistics under the roof or even deliveries in not-so-ideal terrain outside. According to the makers, the electric-powered rig will be useful for inspection, agriculture, security and energy sectors. So, the intent here is to make RANGER capable of most industrial applications and carry loads weighing up to 150 kg anywhere in the city or suburbs.

Designer: AgileX

The omnidirectional navigation robot propelled by a 48V brushless geared hub motor fed by the 600W*4 battery gets a 560 mm track and an 890 mm wheelbase capable of orienting in any direction. Mind you, the platform robot can go at a top speed of 2.6m/s which is impressive. Add to that the IP5 water resistance, and the RANGER can tread any terrain with ease. So, we can add autonomous home deliveries also to the equation.

AgileX Robotics has tested the four-wheeled autonomous robot in a diverse set of conditions – for example, hilly roads, gravel paths, and even stairs. In the prototype test runs, the RANGER easily took on slopes of 10 degrees and 10 cm high obstacles.

The flatbed platform EV has a very good prospect of turning into a widely used commercial robot for a wide array of applications in the industrial avenues as well as routine applications. How it will be priced is ultimately going to determine the adaption in B2B models.

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Google’s sister company Wing designs drones to handle diverse payloads and the logistics industry can’t wait

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Drones are already playing a matchless part in photography and videography, and they were supposed to revolutionize the logistics industry invariably. Delivery of goods using drones has not taken off as presumed when Amazon, for instance, tried testing the possibility. True, the aviation and government norms play a curbing part but majorly the limitation of payload capacity of drones is what has created a bottleneck to the inventive technique for small-scale experiments.

Amazon and Uber (in the near future) are likely to set up large-scale operations focusing on drones for delivery. Readying its fleet of flyers for that future, Alphabet Inc.’s subsidiary Wing has unveiled drone prototypes that will be capable of delivering cargo weighing as little as half a pound and as much as 7 pounds. This variation in weight means a tailored aircraft is necessary for several payloads: for instance, a drone designed to deliver prescription medication is not ideal for delivering a gallon of milk or a heavier package like a refrigerator.

Designer: Wing

It has been found that almost 90 percent of the drone deliveries happening today are of payloads weighing up to five pounds. Therefore, Wing’s idea of larger-sized drones that can manage heavier deliveries is a welcome message for the lingering industry. The company’s appropriately-sized fleet of aircrafts for appropriate packages will share the company’s existing design philosophy, which the company has been testing globally by way of Hummingbird – its flagship drone. Wing claims this drone can carry up to 2 pounds and has made thousands of delivers across the globe.

In the video, Wing shows off its new, different-sized drones including the industry-leading one capable of seven pounds of payload. The smaller one on display can take off with as little as 0.6 pounds. Therefore, what Wing has achieved is a drone fleet capable of efficiently delivering packages including small pill bottles to those weighing as much as 7 pounds, which should give logistic partners a wide variety of options to choose from.

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This self-driving forklift shows how logistics can be safer and more efficient in the future

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Call it the price of efficiency or one of the most obvious design flaws, forklifts are among one of the leading causes of injuries at logistical centers and industrial facilities. The flaw, as it is, is quite simple. The payload sits in front of the driver, obscuring their view and potentially opening them up to collisions. There’s the issue of equilibrium too, with the fact that the payload massively shifts the center of gravity outside the forklift’s base, causing it to sometimes tip over, or sideways when the vehicle makes a quick turn.

As far as autonomous vehicles go, the technology would benefit forklifts the most – as being able to detect obstacles and drive at fixed speeds on fixed paths is something a machine can be trained to do better than a human. Meet the AFL, a forklift that puts algorithms to use by making a load-lifting truck that’s safer and more efficient. For starters, it redesigns the basic framework of a forklift truck by shifting the payload to the center of the vehicle to make it more stable. Its mechanism works in an unusual way, lifting the cargo by the front (as is done traditionally) before shifting it to the center.

The absence of a human driving the truck means the cargo doesn’t need to be lifted above eye-level, and the AFL’s slew of sensors can operate perfectly, sensing in 360° for any obstacle. Moreover, multiple AFL trucks can communicate with each other (like a hive-mind) to create an effective and efficient route map that allows vehicles to move around without colliding into each other. If implemented well, the AFL can run entirely without human intervention, which means better performance, longer work-hours, and lesser accidents!

Designer: DongJun Kim

This modular electric platform can pull any vehicle attached to it… like a futuristic horse

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Building on perhaps one of the oldest modes of transportation, the U-Shift from DLR is an electric skateboard of sorts that plugs into a variety of modules, becoming a part of them… like a horse attaching itself to a chariot. Equipped with a powerful electric drivetrain capable of great torque, the U-Shift can pull modules with humans or cargo, allowing it to serve multiple functions in one format.

While some laud it as the future of logistics (and it certainly might be), it has roots embedded in history dating millennia ago! Just the way a single horse could pull a cart, a chariot, or a caravan with humans + cargo, the U-Shift has the ability to pull anything it’s attached to. Designed to suit modern conditions (because we don’t really use horses anymore), the U-Shift is capable of traveling larger distances non-stop, and silently. The first DLR U-Shift prototype was presented at the Interim Conference of the Strategic Dialogue for the Automotive Sector at Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart last week. “We want to make tomorrow’s mobility more sustainable, effective, and convenient,” said Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Baden-Württemberg Minister for Economic Affairs. “Entirely new products and business models can emerge from futuristic innovations such as the U-Shift vehicle concept.”

Currently, the U-Shift prototype is controlled remotely, but future iterations of the electric driveboard are likely to be fully autonomous. For now, DLR has demoed the U-Shift along with a standard cargo-capsule, capable of carrying 4 Euro-sized pallets of freight eight barred rolling cabinets, and a mini-bus passenger capsule, with enough space for comfortably seating 7 people.

Designer: DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt)

Volvo Trucks’ autonomous vehicle is hauling goods in Sweden

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Volvo Trucks' autonomous vehicle Vera is ready to hit the road. In collaboration with ferry and logistics company DFDS, Vera will begin transporting goods between a logistics center and a port terminal in Gothenburg, Sweden. The vehicle will haul shi...

Amazon is looking for an Industrial Design Engineer for their Robotic Fulfillment division!

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You’ve heard of Amazon, right? One of the world’s largest retailers? Run by the world’s richest man (even after his divorce settlement!)

Amazon is an absolute behemoth. Going from being a book-selling service in 1995, to being one of the biggest names in online retail, and even reaching a trillion dollar valuation along the way, Amazon is famous for investing heavily in research and development. For the longest time, all of Amazon’s profits went right into their research and development team, allowing it to become the immovable force it is today. While Amazon’s most profitable service is its web-server service, Amazon is most well known for its e-commerce, logistics and delivery. Having experimented extensively with unmanned delivery methods, including drones as well as self-driving robots, Amazon is looking for a Lead Industrial Design Engineer to join their Robotics team in North Reading, Massachusetts.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Are you inspired by invention? Is problem solving through teamwork in your DNA?

Do you like the idea of seeing how your work impacts the bigger picture? Answer yes to any of these and you’ll fit right in here at Amazon Robotics. We are a smart team of doers that work passionately to apply cutting edge advances in robotics and software to solve real-world challenges that will transform our customers’ experiences in ways we can’t even imagine yet.

We invent new improvements every day. We are Amazon Robotics and we will give you the tools and support you need to invent with us in ways that are rewarding, fulfilling and fun.

The Global Fulfillment and Transportation Solutions Team seeks a customer obsessed and innovative Lead Engineer to lead in the designs for our next generation Robotic Operations. The Lead Engineer provides technical, operational and analytical design leadership for a multi-disciplinary team. This role requires you to scope and design highly automated operations and supply chain workflows that scale, provide technical guidance on current generation designs and technologies that step towards the future vision, influence our technology R&D roadmap, and deliver on significantly complex programs often starting before the problem is well understood.

WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT YOU WILL DO

As a successful candidate you will have a passion for designing high-performance digital-physical systems leveraging your background developing industrial automation solutions and/or leading highly automated high-volume, high-mix, and short lead time operations. You will lead, develop, and/or contribute to cross-functional teams of passionate engineers to conceptualize, design and implement robotics technologies in next generation facilities and network designs all the way through facility construction and startup. You must have strong fundamentals in Industrial Engineering, Lean systems, technical problem solving ability, financial acuity, and the ability to effectively communicate with and influence decision makers at all levels.
You are eager to get into the weeds to deeply understand your customer’s driving metrics using a variety of financial and data analytics techniques. You’re able to pull yourself out of the weeds to provide a holistic vision and cohesive strategy for next generation designs and network strategies. You have an intrinsic motivation and innate ability to simplify problems to deliver results in a fast-paced and often ambiguous environment. Amazon’s culture encourages innovation and expects engineers and managers alike to take a high level of ownership in solving problems.
You will build a network of relationships with business, technology, and engineering leaders, product managers and systems architects across Amazon to align towards simple and coherent designs. At the same time you will bridge gaps you find between partner teams in order to build holistic integrated systems and architectures crossing multiple technology teams. You’ll advise executives and the broader tech community on solutions that resolve global system architecture opportunities that trade-off robustness, stability, scalability, cost-effectiveness, complexity and business value. You will lead and implement mechanisms to “force multiply” yours and the team’s collective technical knowledge, provide technical guidance, and be a resource for technical review across Robotics.
This role is located in North Reading, Ma. Expect to travel up to 10%.

REQUIREMENTS

Basic Qualifications
• Proven outcomes of your socially responsible business knowledge and strong technical insight to address customer challenges. Ability to anticipate and develop business priorities for future action. Ability to assess broader and deeper impact of decisions on the business.
• Proven experience with Design for Operations and process design based on Lean Principles. Mastery of fundamentals in Industrial Engineering including Lean/Toyota Production Systems (TPS), value stream engineering, statistical process control (SPC), business case analysis, and ergonomic and safety assessment.
• Demonstrated understanding of supply chain strategy, network architecture and business planning. Have detailed knowledge of global supply chain infrastructure and how different architectures scale.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred. Alternatively 2+ years of Amazon experience as a Principal Engineer preferred for internal transfer.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading and managing relevant cross-functional programs.
• Experience using CAD and commercial off the shelf data manipulation technologies.

Preferred Qualifications
• Experience working with the designs of complex automated material handling systems including robotics and high-speed manufacturing in high mix and short lead time environments.
• Experience working with Architects, General Contractors, and Engineers on greenfield and brownfield construction projects to integrate life safety, regulatory, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and low voltage requirements into the full project lifecycle.

LOCATION

North Reading (Massachusetts), USA.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

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Boston Dynamics’ acquisition will help its robots see in 3D

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While Boston Dynamics' robots make for fascinating -- sometimes disturbing -- internet videos, they haven't quite crossed into everyday life. That could change sooner rather than later. Boston Dynamics took a big step toward bringing its box-moving (...

Walmart will test Tesla Semi trucks for transporting merchandise

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The Tesla Semi already has one very large guinea pig for an electric fleet: Walmart. The retail juggernaut has some 6,000 trucks and moves merchandise all over the country and as of last May, it was the world's largest retailer. The company eyeing EV...