Technical limitations and future robotic warehouse management breakthrough

Amazon, with 750 million bought Kiva Systems, want to use it to defend their position in the market of the huge robot algorithm. Kiva which for many consumers, there are indeed hiding something, including, of course Quiet Logistics. All along, they have the support of many customers with Kiva robots central warehouse operations. once QuiteLogistics and Kiva contract termination, they will need to find a new robot.

Many companies including Adept, Fetch, Clearpath, IAM Robotics and Magazino, have already realized the tremendous value Kiva robots and emptiness suddenly emerged, so they started to target mechanized warehouse space. Quiet Logistics decided not to rely on the new platform developed by other companies, we began to develop their own robot. In 2014, an internal project Quiet Logistics robot and robot conducted a project Locus cooperation, in May of that year they won the A $ 8 million round of financing. Bruce Welty is Quiet Logistics chairman and co-founder of Locus Robotics. I inquired about his views on the Kiva robot, robot research and development as well as ways to scratch warehouse robotics is dominated by software problem cause.

Locus robot is designed to cooperate with humans, such as in a warehouse to complete such a task to fill orders. In a good map of the area to draw in advance, which uses a laser radar to achieve self-positioning, positioning the camera and then confirm the barcode. Robot understand each item's location in the warehouse, when there is an order in this object, the robot will automatically navigate and next to the waiting workers extract.
Workers often patrol in the warehouse. When they see the robot in waiting, you can be found in the order desired item on the screen, and then remove it. Then, the robot will move to the next object storage point, or move to the loading place to go. This is a very efficient system, because people do not carry anything, not jumping up and down with the entire warehouse thing: On the contrary, they only need to do: to identify objects and take them down from the shelf.

Next, I visited the chairman of Locus Robotics Bruce Welty.

IEEE Spectrum: You can give us a brief introduction Locus family history do?

Bruce Welty: Locus from Quiet Logistics to hatch, they start actually the same company. We established Locus Quiet because the user Kiva robot, after Amazon acquired Kiva, we decided we needed to have their own technology. In 2010, when we started getting familiar with Kiva, we will consider to design a unique robot. We like Kiva many aspects, but it also has a lot of dissatisfaction. So, we always want to manufacture the next generation of robots.

IEEE Spectrum: you do not like what Kiva it? These aspects are tips on how you and Locus, do you want to build a robot it?

BruceWelty: We do not like Kiva Some include ease of use, price and safety. As you can imagine, the operation must be the first element of our research and development to be considered. So, Kiva's R & D team and did not think too much about price-related stuff and how to perform tasks. They have not considered different weights affect its security might bring - because the region is often no human robot activity.

Gradually, many things started to make us crazy. First, protection pod is very expensive. Robot to walk in the open air environment, it is easy to fall into their dust inside, can cause accidents Maintenance 90%. We do not like Kiva to stay motionless in the corner. We are aware of the importance of maintaining control of the robot. We do not want to create robots do not need protection pod.

Similarly, we also need things can operate in existing facilities. Kiva's technology in 2002 and 2003, when the invention is now auroral radar and camera technology at the time and we can not compare with. We have a more advanced navigation technology that can handle multiple robot navigation. Kiva really can not do that. They have their own course of action, when they need to walk along this path, when no one can pass through this path. Our robot can avoid each other, crossing each other established routes to the environment to make real-time response.