The timely and efficient execution of transport and logistics tasks is the backbone of the flow of goods within a company. The loading of goods often takes place outdoors and is done manually using forklifts or loading cranes. However, truck drivers do not always find the right infrastructure to load the goods quickly when they arrive. Often there is simply a lack of personnel.
In a successful research cooperation lasting several years, scientists from the AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control and their partners from Industrie-Logistik-Linz GmbH, FH OÖ Forschungs & Entwicklungs GmbH, Palfinger Europe GmbH, AGILOX Services GmbH and DB Schenker have developed an intelligent automation concept that revolutionises loading and unloading processes in outdoor areas. The automation of a truck-mounted forklift, a so called Crayler, enables goods and objects to be handled efficiently and flexibly, especially in situations where there is a lack of logistical infrastructure and personnel. It can also be used for similar tasks in agriculture, construction and municipal services.
The development included sensor technology, robotics and intelligent software to enable the Crayler to operate autonomously. It recognises, positions and moves loads safely without relying on marked areas. Various sensor systems capture the environment, allowing the truck to create a virtual map and locate its position, while intelligent algorithms plan tasks and correct deviations in real time. AI is used to identify the goods being transported - in this case, pallets. Since pallets vary greatly in appearance, type and condition, the experts at the AIT Center for Vision, Automation & Control start with the geometric shape of the pallets. In the background, simulation software generates around 500,000 data sets with different views and variants in a very short time, thus training the neural network extremely efficiently.
Large-Scale Robotics Lab for the Automation of Work Machines
The project was successfully completed at the Large-Scale Robotics Lab in Seibersdorf, AIT's new outdoor test site, where the Crayler automatically loaded pallets onto a truck. In the future, the experts want to increase the forklift's learning ability. Among other things, they want to improve the human-machine interface and machine-machine interaction, and enable the Crayler to react flexibly to changing situations, including different scenarios in warehouses and production environments.
This project (HOPPER - Handling of man-made Objects using automated Positioning, Planning and Enhanced Reasoning methods) has received funding from the „IKT der Zukunft“ programme of the Republic of Austria, Ministry for Climate Action.
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