34 DC VELOCITY DECEMBER 2015 www.dcvelocity.com
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uses onboard intelligence and cloud connectivity to operate
in fleets of eight to 12 mobile robots.
Like tiny Google self-driving cars, the pallet-shaped Otto
robots can transport loads of up to 3,300 pounds and cruise
at 4. 5 mph. The system was recently chosen by GE for a
warehouse pilot program, according to Simon Drexler,
Clearpath’s director of indoor industrial solutions.
ROBOTS WORKING ALONGSIDE HUMANS
As more robots take their place inside DCs, warehouse
managers increasingly need to consider how the machines
will fit in with their human associates.
“It’s not always about labor displacement, but people
using robotics as a tool, a force multiplier,” said Genco’s
Miele. “People (are) continuing to do their jobs, but now
they can have five or six robot friends helping them.”
In January, the latest set of robotic safety guidelines,
ANSI R15.06, went into effect. The engineering standards,
which capped years of efforts to harmonize U.S. and
European regulations, could open up new markets for
industrial robots by clearing the way for robots to work
alongside humans, Manci said.
Coming soon to a DC near you?
To see the future of robots in material handling and logistics operations, you need look no further than the engineering labs at Wynright Corp., a systems integrator with
a robotic solutions division in Arlington, Texas. Wynright,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Daifuku North America,
has developed four robotic solutions for use in material
handling/logistics operations. Currently undergoing pilot
testing in customers’ facilities, the systems are on track
for rollout to a wider market within three to five years.
They include:
Using data from the advance
shipping notice (ASN), a robot
compiles a list of boxes inside a container, including their
dimensions. It then uses its 3-D vision system to locate
each box, removing units until it has checked off every
item on the list.
Compared with a worker with a pallet jack, the robotic
system can do the job about twice as fast—and without
complications arising from extreme temperatures or
heavy weights, says Tim Criswell, senior vice president for
Wynright Robotic Solutions.
As a result, a human “wrangler” can now manage a fleet
of four to six robots as they unload multiple containers
simultaneously, with each container-unloading robot typically working alongside a robotic palletizer that collects
and stacks the cargo.
These systems were enabled by recent advances in 3-D
vision developed for use in videogame platforms like the
Xbox, Criswell said. Gaming engineers created sophisticat-
ed vision technology that allows players to interact with
virtual worlds through body movements and gestures.
Commercial designers soon adopted that technology for
industrial applications, developing swift algorithms and
robust hardware that could survive deployment in a ware-
house.
b A robotic truck or container loader. These units are tar-
geted to warehouse and DC operations that need to move
bulk products between facilities (such as manufacturing
and distribution sites). Taking the dimensions of the boxes
and crates, the robot uses a space-planning algorithm to
calculate exactly how many units it can floor-stack into
a stable load inside a container. When the truck arrives
at its destination, a container-unloading robot takes the
entire stack apart and puts the cartons back on pallets
for storage.
This system produces modest labor savings at the load-
ing dock. Its greatest value is that it can fit 15 to 25 per-
cent more product in each trailer than humans can when
working under pressure to turn the truck around quickly,
Criswell said.
b A full-case order fulfillment robot. This unit is designed
to replace the human element in a pick module, according
to Wynright. Normally, humans pull items from multilevel
rack storage and place them on a conveyor. This robot
moves along a rail mounted in the aisle between racks,
uses 3-D vision to locate specific boxes, matches them
to a product list from an order management system, and
moves them to the conveyor.
b A robot that allows companies to handle mixed pallet loads. Dealing with mixed pallets is an increasingly
common challenge as warehouses adopt just-in-time distribution strategies or pare down inventories as part of a
Lean manufacturing initiative. This robot uses 3-D vision to
locate boxes and scan labels on a pallet that may contain
boxes of various sizes and shapes.
