A number of companies have come up with new products to assist in material handling.
Starship Technologies, a robot manufacturing company in the UK, tested its delivery robot in Washington, D.C. the week of March 21.
The robot resembles a small buggy with a functional storage compartment large enough to hold two grocery bags. The six-wheeled contraption, which the company refers to as a “ground drone,” weighs only 40-pounds when fully loaded, and is almost completely self-driving. It is connected to the Internet using 3G technology to find its way to a customer’s address. Humans monitor the device and can take over command by remote control and can communicate with pedestrians through it whenever necessary. In addition, the customer can monitor the journey on his or her smartphone. The cargo bay of the buggy is locked throughout the delivery and is opened by the recipient using a mobile phone.
The buggy is powered by batteries and uses less energy than most light bulbs. It rolls along the pavement at about 4 mph and can complete a delivery within five to 30 minutes for a cost of 60 cents. Integrated navigation and ‘obstacle avoidance software’ enables the robot to steer clear of pedestrians or jump over curbs when necessary.
First launched in 2014, the device has been tested in the UK to make local deliveries of goods and groceries to consumers for less than £1 per shipment. Trials were started in Greenwich, London on March 18.
The concept is based on having products stored at Starship hubs and delivered when customers request via a mobile app.
Skype co-founders Abti Heinla and Janus Friis invented the robot and the company employs 28 people.
Engineering is performed at offices in Tallinn, Estonia; product design is done in Finland, and the company headquarters are in London.
Automated Pallet Handling Device Unveiled
Automation Plus, a division of CSF, Inc., has introduced the Pallet Return Device (PRD). Designed to operate in distribution center pick modules, it helps make handling wood or plastic pallets safer and more efficient without using any outside energy source such as electricity or compressed air.
The PRD incorporates a unique method for stacking empty pallets. Currently, stacking pallets requires expensive machinery or intense manual labor that could lead to injury. This equipment uses a new method that creates a mechanical advantage and reduces the possibility that the worker can strain his lower back. It also reduces the risk of falling pallets because movement is controlled instead of relying on gravity.
It mounts to pallet flow rails that are designed in pick modules made of pallet racking. Since the PRD makes a perfect stack of pallets every time, it saves labor costs because pickers don’t have to struggle to make stacks. Moreover, forklift drivers don’t have to reshape stacks when preparing to remove a pallet from the module.
It can be retrofitted into nearly any set-up that is part of a work center.
The Pallet Return Device includes:
· A pallet carriage that tilts backward to make loading easy.
· A shock absorber that safely tilts the carriage when unloading
· Hand and foot releases.
· A raised receiving end that lifts pallets from the carriage so that the carriage can be removed and reset.
· Springs that pull the load over the center of mass when unloading.
· End stops that keep the pallets in line and visible for the forklift driver.
· UHMW wear pads that prevent metal-on-metal contact of moving parts.