FourByThree proposes the development of a new generation of modular industrial robotic solutions that are suitable for efficient task execution in collaboration with humans in a safe way and are easy to use and program by the factory workers.

The project was active for three years, December 2014-2017.

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Performance Evaluation of Human Detection Systems for Robot Safety

June 28, 2016

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Abstract:

Detecting and tracking people is becoming more important in robotic applications because of the increasing demand for collaborative work in which people interact closely with and in the same workspace as robots. New safety standards allow people to work next to robots, but require that they be protected from harm while they do so. Sensors that detect and track people are a natural way of implementing the necessary safety monitoring, and have the added advantage that the information about where the people are and where they are going can be fed back into the application and used to give the robot greater situational awareness for performing tasks. The results should help users determine if such a system will provide sufficient protection for people to be able to work safely in collaborative applications with industrial robots.

DHL runs warehouse pilot with collaborative robots

June 21, 2016

Source: Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Two robots supported the pickers by carrying the weight and
automatically dropping off the orders once fully loaded

DHL has successfully run a pilot test including robot technology for collaborative automated order picking at its warehouse in Unna, Germany.

The robot, called EffiBOT from the French start-up Effidence, is a fully automated trolley that follows pickers through the warehouse and takes care of most of the physical work. It is specifically designed to work safely with and around people.

During the test, two robots supported the pickers by carrying the weight and automatically dropping off the orders once fully loaded.

Michael Artinger, site manager at DHL Supply Chain who was responsible for the test, said: “The picking cart follows the picker through the rack system. Once it reaches full capacity, the picker simply sends it to the designated drop-off location, while another picking cart joins. This solution makes moving from single to multi-order picking a more efficient and ergonomic process.”

DHL is also testing collaborative robots for value-added services such as co-packing, as well as mobile piece picking robots autonomously navigating through warehouse shelves are being tested.

Markus Kückelhaus, vice-president of innovation and trend research at DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation, added: “In the following weeks, DHL will continuously perform tests with different robot types and systems. These evaluation results will then determine which technologies will be permanently implemented.”

DHL’s latest trend report Robotics in Logistics looks at the potential of robotics and its impact on supply chains. It is available online at www.dhl.com/robots.