BY JAMES COOKE, EDITOR AT LARGE
techwatch
R is for robot
MENTION ROBOTS, AND WAREHOUSES AREN’T THE FIRST
thing that comes to mind. Most of us are more likely to think of these
mechanical “men” as characters out of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi novels or
movies like “Star Wars.” But developments under way make it likely
that you’ll see robots in distribution centers this decade.
In many ways, a distribution center provides an ideal environment
for robots. Warehousing tasks like stacking and picking tend to be
repetitive and boring—the kinds of chores most humans would gladly swap for a chance to do something more challenging and creative.
Yet for decades, the notion of putting robots to work in the DC was
more science fiction than reality.
Recent advances in computing power, sensor technology, and software intelligence have changed all that. In particular, the advent of powerful but low-cost
computer chips has opened the door to
advancements in robotics, making it possible
for software to process all the input signals
needed to make a robot move and respond.
Today, a number of companies offer robotic
solutions designed for warehouses and DCs.
Jervis B. Webb has come up with a robotic lift
truck, named the “SmartLoader,” that can
move loads from palletizer output, racks, or
floor staging into over-the-road trailers without human intervention. The SmartLoader
picks up signals from transponders embedded
in the floor.
And Kiva Systems of Woburn, Mass., has
developed an order fulfillment system that relies on robots to carry
products stored on portable shelves to order pickers. (For more on
Kiva’s solution, see “a DC gets its own fast fulfillment,” DC VELOCITY,
September 2008 or at www.dcvelocity.com.)
One of the newest players in the industrial robotics market is the
Pittsburgh-based Seegrid Corp. The name “Seegrid” refers to the
robots’ ability to see within a detailed grid—the units are actually able
to take camera images and process that visual input. The capacity to
identify objects gives them more freedom of movement than, say, an
automated guided vehicle (AGV), which relies on a wire to guide it.
The company makes two types of robots for warehousing. One, a
tugger, can haul parts and goods through a facility. The other moves
pallets. An operator simply positions the robot’s forks under the pallet, and the robot ferries the load to an assigned location, drops off
the pallet, and returns to the starting point. “The robot is usually
hauling something that people don’t want to do,” says Greg Cronin,
an executive vice president at Seegrid.
At present, the robots are programmed to
stop when they “see” a human in their path.
But Cronin says that the next generation of
robots will be able to move around objects.
Along with enhanced mobility, the robots will
likely be equipped with voice technology so
that warehouse associates can give the
machines spoken commands.
As workers, robots have an advantage over
human labor in that they can
work three shifts, 24 hours a day.
In the past, cost has been an
impediment to their adoption,
but that too may be giving way.
Cronin says his company’s mobile
industrial robots cost a third as
much as an AGV. He reports that
one company that purchased
robots to haul away trash in three
shifts recouped its investment in
less than 12 months. Genco
Supply Chain Solutions and
Daimler Trucks are both using
these robots in their operations.
Right now, robots are still limited
in the functions they can perform. It may be a
decade or so before robotic technology
advances to the point where robots resemble
anything like a mechanical man who can perform a full array of warehouse activities. But
technology is certainly moving in that direction.
If companies like Seegrid can develop more
humanlike robots for a moderate cost, robots
could be fixtures in the warehouse and distribution center within the decade. And after
working side by side with robots all day, some
workers may be greeted by robots when they
go home at night. At the annual conference of
the Council of Supply Chain Management
Professionals last fall, Cronin reported that
Seegrid is developing a home companion
robot slated for introduction around 2015.
