Human-robot collaboration and dynamic material handling optimisation in factory and warehouse settings

成本飙升和严重的劳动力短缺正威胁着仓储和物流行业的可持续性，该行业的利润率通常很低，企业的合同期限也很短。该行业正在采用创新的数字技术和机器人技术来实现自动化操作，提高效率并降低成本。然而，随着自动化程度的提高，人机协作以及跨业务的货物、设备和劳动力活动的测量和跟踪变得越来越具有挑战性。Sonodot是仓储和物流领域的新兴参与者，拥有最先进的工业物联网平台，结合低成本，即插即用位置跟踪传感器和实时智能平台，以跟踪仓库和工厂环境中的设备（条形码扫描仪/叉车）和拾取器。与巴斯大学智能仓储和物流系统中心合作，设计了一种智能仓储解决方案，在超宽带传感器、机器学习、动态路由和网状通信协议方面进行了创新，以提供实时数据见解，使仓库管理人员能够围绕任务优先级、安全性、人力和车队利用率做出明智的决策，以优化运营效率和生产力。该项目响应了当前行业挑战和自动化趋势，重点关注运输和物流解决方案的领先供应商，重点关注开发手动和非结构化（不总是重复和可预测的）操作（叉车和拾取机）的活动跟踪功能，了解在非生产性工作流程上浪费时间的地方和原因，实时动态响应/调度驾驶员/拾取机。并与自动化（传送带或机器人）协调。将开发一个先进的原型，并在最先进的自动化仓库设施中部署，以展示该解决方案在操作环境中提高效率的潜力。结果将为市场采用提供一个令人信服的案例，目标是全球中型仓库和配送中心，已经从英国和欧洲的运营/仓库经理那里获得了快速商业化项目的兴趣。

Surging costs and acute labour shortages are threatening the sustainability of the warehousing and logistics industry where margins are typically very low and businesses operate on short contract terms. The industry is embracing innovative digital technologies and robotics to automate operations, improve efficiency and reduce costs. However, with increasing automation, human-robot collaboration and the measurement and tracking of goods, equipment and workforce activity across operations becomes increasingly challenging.Sonodot (trading as Logidot) is an emerging player in the warehousing and logistics sector with a state-of-the-art industrial IoT platform combining low-cost, plug&play location tracking sensors and a real-time intelligence platform to track equipment (barcode scanners/forklifts) and pickers in warehouse and factory environments. In collaboration with the University of Bath's Centre for Smart Warehousing and Logistics Systems, a smart warehousing solution has been designed with innovations in ultra-wide-band sensors, machine-learning, dynamic routing and mesh communication protocols to provide real-time data insights that enable warehouse managers to make informed decisions around task prioritisation, safety, human labour and fleet utilisation to optimise operational efficiency and productivity.This project responds to current industry challenges and trends towards greater automation, highlighted with leading providers of transport and logistics solutions, with a key focus on developing functionality for activity tracking in manual and unstructured (not always repeated and predictable) operations (forklifts and pickers), understanding where and why time is wasted on unproductive workflows, dynamically responding/routing drivers/pickers in real-time, and coordinating with automation (conveyor belts or robots).An advanced prototype will be developed and deployed within a state-of-the-art automated warehouse facility to demonstrate the potential of the solution to improve efficiencies within an operational environment. Outcomes will provide a compelling case for market adoption, targeting mid-large warehouses and distribution centres globally with interest already secured from operations/warehouse managers across the UK and Europe for rapid commercialisation post project.