Autonomous forklifts and robots go to work
A DRIVERLESS FORKLIFT TRUCK AND MOBILE load-carrying robots that use artificial intelligence-aided vision have been put to work in European warehouses by global logistics service provider DB Schenker.
Following a successful trial it’s introduced an autonomous forklift truck supplied by Austrian company AGILOX into fulltime operation.
The automated guided vehicle (AGV) transports empty containers around 150 metres in a warehouse near Munich – a job previously done by a manually operated forklift.
The AGILOX has a height-adjustable fork that can be used to lift and lower containers, removing the need for any manual involvement in loading or unloading.
It is capable of recording a map for navigation within a work site – so it can start work within a few days of delivery.
Franz Humer, CEO and co-founder of AGILOX, says: “The robots can take over simple tasks in the warehouse, meaning employees can concentrate on more complex tasks, especially at peak times.”
Intelligent software allows for precise operating areas and safety zones to be established – along with storage and parking areas. Sensors and cameras on the AGV ensure that it navigates around obstacles.
Meantime, in another DB Schenker warehouse, in Leipzig, transport robots with AI-powered vision are being trialled.
The autonomous logistics robots, made by Gideon Brothers, are equipped with a visual perception-based robot autonomy system – combining deep learning with stereoscopic cameras to create the next generation of robot vision.
This AI-powered visual perception is designed to allow the robots to navigate safely around employees and equipment as well as other moving machines…while moving loads of up to 800kg.
In the first month of the pilot, a robot typically travelled over 26kms a week.
Gideon Brothers founder and CEO Matija Kopic says: “Our machines perceive the world just like we do – by processing visual inputs and understanding what surrounds them and how it relates to their tasks.
“This is a technological leap. Self-driving machines, powered by vision and AI, will succeed where earlier technology failed – it will become ubiquitous in industrial environments.”
T&D