Narrow Aisle Research Articles

Research on Positioning and Navigation System of Greenhouse Mobile Robot Based on Multi-Sensor Fusion.

The labor shortage and rising costs in the greenhouse industry have driven the development of automation, with the core of autonomous operations being positioning and navigation technology. However, precise positioning in complex greenhouse environments and narrow aisles poses challenges to localization technologies. This study proposes a multi-sensor fusion positioning and navigation robot based on ultra-wideband (UWB), an inertial measurement unit (IMU), odometry (ODOM), and a laser rangefinder (RF). The system introduces a confidence optimization algorithm based on weakening non-line-of-sight (NLOS) for UWB positioning, obtaining calibrated UWB positioning results, which are then used as a baseline to correct the positioning errors generated by the IMU and ODOM. The extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm is employed to fuse multi-sensor data. To validate the feasibility of the system, experiments were conducted in a Chinese solar greenhouse. The results show that the proposed NLOS confidence optimization algorithm significantly improves UWB positioning accuracy by 60.05%. At a speed of 0.1 m/s, the root mean square error (RMSE) for lateral deviation is 0.038 m and for course deviation is 4.030°. This study provides a new approach for greenhouse positioning and navigation technology, achieving precise positioning and navigation in complex commercial greenhouse environments and narrow aisles, thereby laying a foundation for the intelligent development of greenhouses.

Characteristics of pedestrian dynamics in narrow aisles: Empirical results

Characteristics of pedestrian dynamics in narrow aisles: Empirical results

Put it in the bag: Order fulfillment with a pocket sorter system

AbstractDue to high real estate costs in urban areas, shop floor space is scarce in most brick‐and‐mortar stores. Maneuvering newly arrived merchandise through narrow aisles during shelf replenishment is time‐consuming for the sales staff and impedes customers. Therefore, many retail chains nowadays aim for store‐friendly shipments (SFS). By mirroring the layout of a store in the buildup of its dedicated shipments, the need for a zigzag movement through the store when replenishing shelves can be avoided. On the negative side, however, additional effort arises in the distribution centers. A suitable warehousing system to assemble SFS without excessive effort is a pocket (or pouch or bag) sorter, where each item is put into its separate bag. These bags, filled with items, are automatically transported while hanging from an overhead conveyor and can be sorted into any sequence before being delivered to the workstations that build SFS. This article investigates the assembly of SFS with a pocket sorter and presents scheduling procedures to enhance the efficiency of this process for a given set of store orders. We demonstrate that, despite its notorious complexity, the problem can be solved by simple decision rules with good performance. In a case study, we show that this approach can dramatically reduce the completion times of store orders, resulting in savings of more than 60% of the total working hours compared to a simple real‐world policy. Another 30% of reduction can be obtained by standardized store layouts.

Terraforming – Environment Manipulation during Disruptions for Multi-Agent Pickup and Delivery

In automated warehouses, teams of mobile robots fulfill the packaging process by transferring inventory pods to designated workstations while navigating narrow aisles formed by tightly packed pods. This problem is typically modeled as a Multi-Agent Pickup and Delivery (MAPD) problem, which is then solved by repeatedly planning collision-free paths for agents on a fixed graph, as in the Rolling-Horizon Collision Resolution (RHCR) algorithm. However, existing approaches make the limiting assumption that agents are only allowed to move pods that correspond to their current task, while considering the other pods as stationary obstacles (even though all pods are movable). This behavior can result in unnecessarily long paths which could otherwise be avoided by opening additional corridors via pod manipulation. To this end, we explore the implications of allowing agents the flexibility of dynamically relocating pods. We call this new challenging problem Terraforming MAPD (tMAPD) and develop an RHCR-based approach to tackle it. As the extra flexibility of terraforming comes at a significant computational cost, we utilize this capability judiciously by identifying situations where it could make a significant impact on the solution quality. In particular, we invoke terraforming in response to disruptions that often occur in automated warehouses, e.g., when an item is dropped from a pod or when agents malfunction. Empirically, using our approach for tMAPD, where disruptions are modeled via a stochastic process, we improve throughput by over 10%, reduce the maximum service time (the difference between the drop-off time and the pickup time of a pod) by more than 50%, without drastically increasing the runtime, compared to the MAPD setting.

Development of an Autonomous Robot Replenishment System for Convenience Stores

With the appealing ability of combining both mobility and manipulability, mobile robot manipulators have been applied to factory automation, telemedicine, warehousing, etc. Due to the high density of convenience stores in Taiwan, Asia, and other countries, we make further use of mobile robot manipulators to develop an autonomous replenishment system. The replenishment task for a convenience store poses challenges given its narrow aisles and the occasional presence of customers. It thus demands thorough consideration of the planning, navigation, and control of the robot, in addition to customer safety. Correspondingly, we propose strategies for task and path planning, in addition to control and sensor fusion. Specifically, a new collision-free path planning algorithm (the DWA-PS) that consider both customer safety and comfort is developed, along with replenishment and control strategies that utilize the flexibility of the mobile robot manipulator to raise working efficiency. For the performance evaluation, we apply the proposed system to conduct a series of replenishment experiments, including in a convenience store near our university.

Design and Fabrication of Battery Operated 2-Wheeler Forklift

Abstract: In today life there is wide of forklifts variety of forklifts from the large heavy loadings trucks to the one that works among narrow aisles forklifts have becomes one of basics transportation tools we use in our lives with all the forklifts in existence we find that there are some improvement that can be to bring forklifts to the better performance. Segway is a self-balancing transportation device with two wheel can operate in any level pedestrian environment In general the forklift can be defined as the machine capable of lifting heavy weights that is difficult for an ordinary human being to lift. It is similar to vehicle but a addition of two forks to lift the weight makes the difference. The operator using these forks can lift any heavy weight material on a click of button without any effort

Design and Implementation of an Integrated Control System for Omnidirectional Mobile Robots in Industrial Logistics

The integration of intelligent robots in industrial production processes has the potential to significantly enhance efficiency and reduce human adversity. However, for such robots to effectively operate within human environments, it is critical that they possess an adequate understanding of their surroundings and are able to navigate through narrow aisles while avoiding both stationary and moving obstacles. In this research study, an omnidirectional automotive mobile robot has been designed for the purpose of performing industrial logistics tasks within heavy traffic and dynamic environments. A control system has been developed, which incorporates both high-level and low-level algorithms, and a graphical interface has been introduced for each control system. A highly efficient micro-controller, namely myRIO, has been utilized as the low-level computer to control the motors with an appropriate level of accuracy and robustness. Additionally, a Raspberry Pi 4, in conjunction with a remote PC, has been utilized for high-level decision making, such as mapping the experimental environment, path planning, and localization, through the utilization of multiple Lidar sensors, IMU, and odometry data generated by wheel encoders. In terms of software programming, LabVIEW has been employed for the low-level computer, and the Robot Operating System (ROS) has been utilized for the design of the higher-level software architecture. The proposed techniques discussed in this paper provide a solution for the development of medium- and large-category omnidirectional mobile robots with autonomous navigation and mapping capabilities.

Energy minimizing order picker forklift routing problem

The material handling systems used in warehouses involve important operations such as the usage of order picker forklifts. These order picker forklifts provide efficient utilization of the storage space by their ability in moving in narrow aisles and picking items from high level racks. Routing the order picker forklifts to pick ordered items belongs to the operational decision level and is done in high frequency. Therefore, finding an energy-efficient route for an order picker forklift can yield significant savings in the energy consumption in warehouses and the resulting CO2 emission. In this paper, we introduce and study the energy minimizing order picker forklift routing problem (EMFRP) which aims to find an energy-efficient route for an order picker forklift to pick a given list of items. To our knowledge, this is the first study that considers the order picker forklifts in the context of the order picking problem. We calculate the forklift’s energy consumption in both horizontal and vertical moves considering the effects of friction forces, the acceleration and deceleration of the forklift, and its load. A mixed integer programming formulation and a dynamic programming approach are developed to solve small size instances of the EMFRP exactly. To solve larger instances, we provide tour construction and tour improvement heuristics and integrate them into a single solution approach. Computational results show that the proposed heuristic approach finds high quality solutions. Moreover, it is observed that significant energy savings can be achieved by solving the EMFRP instead of the classical distance minimization problem.

360 DEGREES TURNING ELECTRIC FORKLIFT FOR INDUSTRY WAREHOUSES & DOMESTIC PURPOSE

In latest existence, there are numerous extraordinary forms of forklifts, from people with a massive tonnage to the ones operating in narrow aisles, forklifts have become one of the maximum critical gear for transporting vehicles. Within the model that we use in lifestyles with all fashions of forklifts nowadays, we understand that there are a number of improvements that could deliver forklifts to their best performance. The 2-wheel conveyer can work in any grade surroundings. The design of present forklifts has limitations on rotation and systems that pose a safety threat to our new layout inclusive of the 360-diploma swivel fork this is connected to the frame. It additionally has a lifting mechanism to be able to elevate hundreds from 1 to 50 kg, the unit has a compact length that can be moved in very little area and meets the necessities, new design while the design is designed, we calculate the mass traits of elements and sub-assemblies to make certain the steadiness of the forklift the effects display that the forklift may be used competently, its middle of gravity remains within the protection triangle protection and we use it to acquire maximum load capacity and their consequences show that the brand new layout may be used appropriately underneath working conditions. This hobby makes use of non-polluting batteries

Design and Fabrication of Electric Forklift

Abstract: In today life there is wide of forklifts variety of forklifts from the large heavy loadings trucks to the one that works among narrow aisles forklifts have becomes one of basics transportation tools we use in our lives with all the forklifts in existence we find that there are some improvement that can be to bring forklifts to the better performance. We describe forklift powered by an electric motor instead of the IC engine using rechargeable batteries the main objective of this project is to design electrically powered forklift for material handling in industrial warehouses and workshops. Nowadays in industries, the forklift operates on an IC engine for transportation and hydraulic system for lifting and lowering of materials. Due to this mode of operation, there are many adverse environmental impacts such as emission of carbon dioxide and leakage of hydraulic fluid. Thus, this project aim to making the electric system into a forklift to make it electrically powered which lift to 1 ton kg and elevate up to 8 feet. Keyword: Forklift, Heavy Loads, Transportation, I.C engine, Industrial Warehouse, Environment, Electrically Powered.

Non-Contact Service Robot Development in Fast-Food Restaurants

Given the prospect of low birth rate and aging population among developed countries, which further resulted in the shortage of workforces, service robots have been gradually applied to real-life from past academic research. This paper introduces the development of a service robot that is designed for food service in fast-food restaurants with the innovative improvement of mapping, localization, and navigation. Moreover, this research took the initiative of integrating 3D point cloud map and 2D occupancy grid map (OGM) in order to build a PC-OGM. In another word, using the sensory fusion method allows the service robot to adapt to a more complicated environment as well as enhance its positioning. In terms of its navigation function, the adaptive motion controller is refined so the service robot could navigate through narrow aisles smoothly. Finally, friendly contact-free food service robots were evaluated at fast-food restaurants in order to gain feedback from diners and waiters. Their feedback was broken down into 3 categories, availability, reliability, and satisfaction, for further analysis. As COVID-19 assails the world, we also look into future possibilities of food service robot deployment among restaurants to keep food and surface free from the virus.

Real-time order picking planning framework for warehouses and distribution centres

This paper proposes a dynamic-order picking (DOP) framework where batches and picker routes are continuously modified in response to urgent orders arrival and disruption events. In the proposed framework, we consider conflicts between pickers in narrow aisles to ensure a smooth replanning function. For this purpose, we first formulate a static joint-order batching and sequencing model (J-OBS) that takes into account congestion time. Then, we propose a replanning model (D-J-OBS) that utilises real-time input from multiple information systems. As a solution approach and due to the NP-hardness of the problem, we use a tabu search algorithm to solve practical sizes of the static and the dynamic problems. The results indicate that the DOP framework generates significant tardiness savings compared to online-order picking, especially for systems with high degree of dynamism.

Acil Tip Stajını Alan Önhekimlerin Staj Öncesi ve Sonrası Meslekî Kaygılarının İncelenmesi (Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Örneği)

Purpose: The purpose of this present study is to compare the professional anxieties of the intern physicians who attend the internship program for emergency medical service in the pre- and post-internship period and to explore whether the internship experience for emergency medical service leads to a change in their professional anxieties.Materials and Method: Based on observation, this study was performed with 83 intern physicians at a single medical school in Turkey. The professional anxieties of interns in this study were determined based on the Occupational Anxiety Scale of Emergency Health Professionals. Data were analyzed through the paired samples t-test. Findings: The least anxiety-provoking triggers for the intern physicians in the pre-internship period are as follows: “Not being able to do my profession efficiently as I get older due to the fact that it requires physical activity”, “Risk of being disabled while providing the service”, “Decreased income in case of disability”, “Lack of knowledge and skills among my colleagues”, “Obstacles for transferring patients (narrow aisle, etc.)”, “Unergonomic intervention and transfer equipment.” These triggers were also the least anxiety-provoking triggers in the post-internship period. The most anxiety-provoking triggers for the intern physicians in the pre-internship period are as follows: “Possibility of suffering from physical violence while providing the service”, “Possibility of suffering from verbal violence while providing the service”, “Lack of staff”, “Unethical behaviors that can be encountered while providing the service” and “Patients’ and patient relatives’ prejudice against us.” It is remarkable that these anxieties did not show a downward trend even in the post-internship period.Conclusion: The study concluded that the internship program for emergency medical service attended by the intern physicians did not lead to any change in their anxieties. Further studies may compare the internship program for emergency medical service that intern physicians in other universities take part in and the program in this study in terms of its effect on the concerns of the students. Moreover, it is necessary to review the internship program for emergency medical service for intern physicians and examine its effectiveness. Lastly, the concerns of intern physicians about emergency response can be explored through qualitative research.

KEBERLANJUTAN PENGEMBANGAN LORONG GARDEN DALAM MEWUJUDKAN KAWASAN PERKOTAAN RAMAH LINGKUNGAN (ECO CITY) DI MAKASSAR

The Lorong Garden (aisle farming) program is one of the efforts of Makassar City Government to improve the area of narrow aisles or narrow streets in residential areas to make it more comfortable and healthier (ecological) and productive (economic). The program is expected to be able to improve the quality of the environment, community participation, and the economy of the community. The sustainability of its management is influenced by several integrated components. The study aims to analyze the sustainability of Lorong Garden development in Makassar City. Research in the form of a questionnaire interview survey of 126 respondents of the general public and 25 experts /stakeholders in the city of Makassar. Index analysis and sustainability status were using MDS methods Rap-Longgar-Potensial. The results showed that the multidimensional Lorong Garden Program is less sustainable (index 43.02%). Partially, there were two dimensions in the moderately sustainable category namely the ecological dimension (index 51.84%) and the technology dimension (index 65.09%) and three dimensions less sustainable, namely economy (index 46.15%), social (index 49.81) %) and institutional (index 39.20%). Of the total 37 attributes were analyzed, 17 sensitive attributes affected the sustainability of the Lorong Garden development in Makassar City.

Slip Estimation and Compensation Control of Omnidirectional Wheeled Automated Guided Vehicle

To achieve Industry 4.0 solutions for the networking of mechatronic components in production plants, the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology is the optimal way for goods transportation in the cyber-physical system (CPS). As a result, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are networked to all other participants in the production system to accept and execute transport jobs. Accurately tracking the planned paths of AGVs is therefore essential. The omnidirectional mobile vehicle has shown its excellent characteristics in crowded environments and narrow aisle spaces. However, the slip problem of the omnidirectional mobile vehicle is more serious than that of the general wheeled mobile vehicle. This paper proposes a slip estimation and compensation control method for an omnidirectional Mecanum-wheeled automated guided vehicle (OMWAGV) and implements a control system. Based on the slip estimation and compensation control of the general wheeled mobile platform, a Microchip dsPIC30F6010A microcontroller-based system uses an MPU-9250 multi-axis accelerometer sensor to derive the longitudinal speed, transverse speed, and steering angle of the omnidirectional wheel platform. These data are then compared with those from the motor encoders. A linear regression with a recursive least squares (RLS) method is utilized to estimate real-time slip ratio variations of four driving wheels and conduct the corresponding compensation and control. As a result, the driving speeds of the four omnidirectional wheels are dynamically adjusted so that the OMWAGV can accurately follow the predetermined motion trajectory. The experimental results of diagonally moving and cross-walking motions without and with slip estimation and compensation control showed that, without calculating the errors occurred during travel, the distances between the original starting position to the stopping position are dramatically reduced from 1.52 m to 0.03 m and from 1.56 m to 0.03 m, respectively. The higher tracking accuracy of the proposed method verifies its effectiveness and validness.

Routing order pickers in warehouses considering congestion and aisle width

Due to the importance of routing order pickers, there has been extensive research in the area of routing in warehouses. Still, there are some prominent factors that should receive more attention, as they may provide unsatisfactory services and incur considerable operational costs if ignored. In real-world applications, warehouse configuration, width of aisles, and controlling the vehicle congestion in the aisles greatly influence the efficiency of the routing process. Therefore, this paper proposes a mixed-integer programming model. The model aims to minimize maximum delivery time by finding the shortest pickup and delivery routes of all goods for all vehicles. Since the problem is NP-hard, a Simulated Annealing metaheuristic approach is designed to solve the model in large-size problems. This research contributes to picker routing literature by considering dynamic congestion, narrow and wide aisles, and pickup times and proposing a metaheuristic algorithm. The validation and efficiency of our proposed model are proved by solving some various generated benchmark problems. In summary, the developed route planning mathematical model works effectively for any two-dimensional rectangular layout, and the collision prevention constraints are incorporated in the mathematical model.

Design and development of a motorized aircraft seat to substitute aisle wheelchairs

Purpose The solution described in this paper allows wheelchair users with reduced mobility or physical disabilities to move independently throughout an aircraft and to board and disembark autonomously. Materials and methods A motorized aircraft seat was developed to substitute current aircraft aisle wheelchairs. The real-scale functional prototype was evaluated in a focus group. The results show that the proposed solution is considered superior to current solutions in nine of twenty requirements and neutral in one of them. There was low agreement among the focus group participants in ten requirements, even though the focus group discussion brought interesting reflections, including positive feedback, critics, and suggestions for further research and development in the field. Results The design concept consists of a motorized wheelchair that becomes the seat of the aircraft when anchored on a docking platform attached to the aircraft fuselage via a seat track. The manoeuvring is allowed by a rotating mechanism, which solves a critical function that is to enable wheelchair manoeuvring in the narrow aisles of aircraft. A parking assistant system aids the control of the motorized wheelchair. Conclusions The main benefits of this solution are to reduce seat transfers during the flight experience and to provide more autonomy and comfort for passengers during flights. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION A motorized aircraft seat was developed to replace traditional aircraft aisle wheelchairs. A real-scale functional prototype was built, tested in an aircraft mockup, and evaluated in a focus group. The main benefits of the proposed solution are to reduce the number of chair transfers during the flight experience and to provide more autonomy for passengers. Additional benefits are to allow the passengers to experience less physical and emotional stresses, to enter the aircraft corridor looking ahead, and to sit in any aisle position in the aircraft.

Optimal dynamic routing for two forklifts in narrow-Aisle racking warehouse

Determining storage location and planning path are the two most important components in warehouse management. Simultaneous resolution of these problems not only reduces the storage and retrieval time but also avoids the loss of goods. The article offers a scenario of a practical cold warehouse system with narrow aisle racking, where space optimization and time schedules are always the top priority. There are two forklifts considered to work parallel in the system, so aisle dispute is considered to minimize safety risks in the warehouse. Two algorithms used to optimize the path were introduced in the paper, which is the closest open location – COL and A star algorithm. The COL helps to determine the most appropriate storage location according to the user's requirements, including the type of goods to be exported or imported, finding storage location of the nearest empty cell by referring the weight of the road and obstacle might happen by two forklift truck in the system. The result of this algorithm is the determined Input and Output point of each forklift path. The coordinate index ​​of these two points is returned as input to the A-star algorithm to determine the shortest path for the forklift. With the A star algorithm, a clear path will be sought, including the comparison of clashes between vehicles in the system, preferring the shortest path for moving between two points. The travel route results are exported for goods execution devices. The system is simulated by MATLAB combined with V-Rep software for an intuitive interface and fully illustrates each task of each vehicle from time to time. Some traditional or single algorithms with the same assumptions about the system were also simulated and compared to see the effectiveness of the combination of two COL and A star algorithms in a narrow aisle racking system.

Decoding Decentralized Control Mechanism Underlying Adaptive and Versatile Locomotion of Snakes.

Snakes have no limbs and can move in various environments using a simple elongated limbless body structure obtained through a long-term evolutionary process. Specifically, snakes have various locomotion patterns, which they change in response to conditions encountered. For example, on an unstructured terrain, snakes actively utilize the terrain's irregularities and move effectively by actively pushing their bodies against the "scaffolds" that they encounter. In a narrow aisle, snakes exhibit concertina locomotion, in which the tail part of the body is pulled forward with the head part anchored, and this is followed by the extension of the head part with the tail part anchored. Furthermore, snakes often exhibit three-dimensional (3-D) locomotion patterns wherein the points of ground contact change in a spatiotemporal manner, such as sidewinding and sinus-lifting locomotion. This ability is achieved possibly by a decentralized control mechanism, which is still mostly unknown. In this study, we address this aspect by employing a synthetic approach to understand locomotion mechanisms by developing mathematical models and robots. We propose a Tegotae-based decentralized control mechanism and use a 2-D snake-like robot to demonstrate that it can exhibit scaffold-based and concertina locomotion. Moreover, we extend the proposed mechanism to 3D and use a 3-D snake-like robot to demonstrate that it can exhibit sidewinding and sinus-lifting locomotion. We believe that our findings will form a basis for developing snake-like robots applicable to search-and-rescue operations as well as understanding the essential decentralized control mechanism underlying animal locomotion.

Scheduling automated guided vehicles in very narrow aisle warehouses

In this paper, we study the scheduling of storage and retrieval of unit loads from very narrow aisles using automated guided vehicles (AGVs). As AGVs cannot pass each other in the aisles, sequencing the aisle access is essential. We propose two access policies, present multiple complexity results and formulate MIP models. We then present a large neighborhood search that produces solutions within less than 2.5% of the optimum solution on average in a short amount of time for instances with hundreds of jobs. We use our heuristic to derive insights into the best access policy, number of AGVs, as well as the optimal layout of very narrow aisle warehouses.