Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.04
May 15, 2019
…Fifty-percent are interested in mobile collaborative robots, 47% in shuttle systems/mobile robotic storage, and 47% in robotics that are used for palletizing. Choosing wisely Of the companies that are planning to evaluate or buy automated materials handling equipment, technology or software in the next two years, most are looking to fill orders faster to meet customer service level agreements and expectations. Other investments are being driven by faster e-commerce order piece picking and packing, and some companies see automated options as a way to deal with the persistent labor shortage. Bryan Jensen, chairman and executive vice president at St. Onge…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.91
February 04, 2020
…here is a partnership between Takeoff Technologies and Knapp’s shuttle system. According to Knapp’s Reader, the system is highly scalable and can be installed in 16 weeks. “It’s also easy to build small networks of these facilities,” says Reader. Reader’s characterization of the equipment carries over to that from other key players including Dematic, OPEX and Swisslog. The individual technologies may be quite different, but the impact is similar. Nobody ever said this enormous shift in retail would be easy. But it sure is interesting. And, it may look quite different even a year from now. Companies mentioned in this…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.80
September 01, 2015
…are familiar with goods-to-person systems, including high-density AS/RS and shuttle systems, autonomous carts, or conveyor and sortation systems. Preiss sees opportunities for goods-to-robot systems, which capitalize on the established performance of goods-to-person solutions and stationary robots. Preiss describes one customer’s system of piece-picking robots stationed at a pocket sorter. Surprisingly, the robots are fed by manual processes in this case, but whatever the upstream mechanism for presenting goods to the robot, it can handle the retrieval and depositing of as much as 90% of the customer’s SKUs. “Many customers also want to reserve the right to manually put to the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.74
February 08, 2021
…to be presented and controls take place. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Freight, operator of the railway shuttle service between France and the UK through the Channel Tunnel, is also delighted that a long period of uncertainty ends. As part of its ongoing Brexit preparations, it has launched the Eurotunnel Border Pass. This new service will enable customers to upload all the data needed for their journey in a secure format to a virtual wallet, accessible during their crossing by Eurotunnel and the authorities of the two states. In particular, it will enable the data needed for goods to cross the border…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.66
August 06, 2023
…also used in loading/offloading of objects within the space shuttle. Three of the most widely known space manipulators are: Canadarm1—14.7 m (48.8 ft.) long arms Canadarm2—17.5 m (57.7 ft.) long arms Special-Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) or Dextre—3.3 m (11 ft.) long arms Why is robotics the only way into space? Future space missions will be longer A typical one-way trip to the International Space Station (ISS) takes about two days, a trip to the moon is a minimum of three days, and a trip to the closest planet would take several months. As humanity pushes to explore deeper into space,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.55
May 14, 2021
…conventional racking. Sullivan said this costs less than pallet shuttles or unit-load ASRS but achieves similar efficiencies. “There are many operations that just can’t hire enough people, and many others that struggle with high turnover,” he said. “Autonomous robots can reduce these challenges by automating some key workflows, enabling operations to take their best employees and put them on higher value tasks.” Sullivan also sees the ROI for autonomous robots coming in at two years or less, with both leasing and buying options, although payback time varies based on labor rates and other factors. In addition, AutoGuide has looked at…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.50
December 28, 2020
…racking, which Sullivan says is lower cost than pallet shuttles or unit-load AS/RS solutions, but achieves similar efficiencies. Overall, he adds, the need is growing for operations of all sizes to automate the movement of pallets to overcome labor availability issues. “There are many operations that just can’t hire enough people and many others that struggle with high turnover,” says Sullivan. “Autonomous robots can reduce these challenges by automating some key workflows, enabling operations to take their best employees and put them on higher value tasks.” Sullivan also sees the ROI for autonomous robots coming in at two years or…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.49
September 01, 2019
…justify the cost of conventional automation, such as a shuttle system, in its smaller footprint facilities. With regard to the latter, Manzione was sold on two things. One was the cultural fit between RSL and its robotics supplier. “Sitting across the table from them, we felt they understood our operations and our needs,” he says. The other was the robotics-as-a-service model. “Robotics-as-a-service allows us to scale up or down, based on volume, without having to call a temp service to add people right away,” he says. “And, with the variability of volume in e-commerce, you’re constantly scaling up and down.”…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.20
May 03, 2022
…case handing, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), a shuttle system, vertical lift modules, robotic palletizing and depalletizing, and RFID for tracking. In addition to a focus on automation, sustainability was at the heart of the design. “Sustainability is a key component of HARTING’s 2030 strategy,” Meyer noted, adding that all of the energy in the facility comes from renewable sources. Regenerative braking on storage and retrieval cranes put energy back into the system, and an energy management system ensures the facility optimizes the energy it does use. Similarly, ergonomics played a key role in the design. “The heart of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.17
May 01, 2016
…in Devens, Mass. There, some 200 orange Kiva robots shuttle 5,000 shelving units from a storage area to picking stations where order selectors fill orders. As one of the early adopters of mobile robotics for e-commerce fulfillment, Quiet has been using Kiva since 2009. And while the leading edge is called the bleeding edge for a reason, Bruce Welty, Quiet’s co-founder and CEO, says that getting out front with robots was a conscious decision he made with his partner Mike Johnson, Quiet’s president. “No one had really used mobile robotics like this before,” says Welty. “Mike and I felt that…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.97
March 12, 2020
…notes. “But, what if you want to add a shuttle system, an AutoStore, a piece-picking robot or an IAM Robotics area? Right now, those are each deployed as point solutions. Down the road, they can be deployed together.” The system is also capable of creating a profile of individual workers based on their mistakes. “The system can take into account all of the resources in the facility, from the robots to the people to the conveyors,” Elazary says. “We can then assign workers to specific jobs to take advantage of their strengths, or to give them relief.” Core competency Not…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.83
May 01, 2019
…storage and computation tasks. This precludes the need to shuttle data between memory and processor, saving time and reducing energy consumption by as much as 90%. In-memory computing can cache large amounts of data, greatly speed response times and store session data, which helps to optimize performance. “We need to evolve to a new type of computing platform, where we lose less power in moving data up and down to the compute engine,” says Lauwereins. “We need to compute in memory, where the data stays where it is stored and can be processed at that same place.” Processing Goes Analog…
