THE EVOLUTION OF WAREHOUSE AUTOMATION
1910 Early Material Handling Automation HENRY FORD 1914 1920 1919 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY Supply Chain Education Programs 1930 1940
RFID HARRY STOCKMAN 1948 1950 1950 LESLIE H. BOWES Check Weighing
Bar Code JOSEPH WOODLAND AND BERNARD SILVER 1952 1953 BERRETT ELECTRONICS AGV’s Operations Research Education Program MIT 1956 1960 1960 SENSORMATIC, CHECKPOINT AND KNOGO RFID AS/RS Pallets DEMAG 1962
1966 STANFORD Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) AS/RS Cases S.I. SYSTEMS 1968
Commercial Use of Bar Code UGPIC 1970 1970 1969 GEORGE VON GAL Combination Palletizer/Depalletizer
Mini-Load AS/RS DAIFUKU 1972 1960 - 1970 Tilt-Tray Sorters
1980 1979 CARNEGIE MELLON The Robotics Institute Warehouse Management System 1980 -90 1990
E-Commerce AMAZON/EBAY 1995 1995 FREEMARKETS e-Auctions
Mega DC’s 1998-2005 2000 1998 MIT Logistics Education Program
Mixed Case Palletizing Software PUZZLE, FRAUNHOFER INSTITUTE 2000 2000 B2B e-Commerce
2002 WITRON Automated Case Pick Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) MIT 2003
2003 KIVA SYSTEMS Rovers Robotics Education Program WPI 2007
2008 SCHAEFER SYSTEMS Automated Case Pick National Robotics Roadmap Initiative 2009 2010 2011 Obama launches National Robotics Initiative AF/SF (Autonomous Fleet-Based Storage & Fulfillment) SYMBOTIC 2012 2020 Economic Driver Benefit
EARLY MATERIAL MATRIXSELECT CASE HANDLING AUTOMATION/ AS/RS PALLETS AS/RS CASES TILT-TRAY SORTERS SHOE SORTERS STORAGE AND SELECTION CONVEYORS
Henry Ford Demag S.I. Systems Developed to simultaneously Sandvik AB Symbotic sort irregularly shaped products for items that slip Henry Ford was one of The first pallet Automated S.I. Systems later developed off the tray by gravity. The shoe sorter is an apparatus for Symbotic introduces the first the first who used Storage and Retrieval Systems the SI Ordermatic to use in selectively sorting fragile items in rover-based case storage and conveyors for mass (AS/RS) were developed during large distribution centers warehouses. The conveying surface selection system capable of direct production of cars in an this time, one of the first by to automatically and consists of continuously linked slats storage of cases in dense 3D assembly line system. Demag in a high-bay warehouse. precisely select full cases. that move in a manner similar to a structures, without use of trays. belt with a shoe that moves along with the slats to direct the load. MATERIAL
HANDLING 1914 1962 1968 1960 -1 970 1970 -1 980 2012 AUTOMATED Manufacturers were Grocery companies were eager For supply chains, Cases are handled directly using forced to develop modes to automate in the 1970s and it enabled high speed, robotic actuators and sensors of mass production 1980s as a labor strategy automated sortation on-board. System software is to meet increased resulting from increased levels and loading for trucks. capable of retrieving cases in exact consumer demand as of organized labor and high sequence at high throughput rates, automobile and aviation inflation rates increase labor as required by downstream industries emerged. rates and benefit expenses. systems used for robotic palletizing, truck loading, and batching for each pick applications.
SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS ROBOTICS THE ROBOTICS THE COMPUTER SCIENCE AND EDUCATION RESEARCH EDUCATION SAIL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RIM EDUCATION INSTITUTE LABORATORY (CSAIL) PROGRAMS PROGRAM PROGRAM
Syracuse University MIT Stanford Carnegie Mellon MIT Georgia Tech WPI
The curriculum This Operations Research John McCarthy and Founded by Raj Reddy, Center for Robotics and Worcester Before CSAIL was established in Intelligent Machines consisted of Railroad Center at MIT was launched Les Earnest form the Tom Murrin and Angel Jordan 2003, it was the Laboratory (RIM@GT) is an Polytechnic Institute Transportation, Water and directed by Philip Morse Stanford Artificial with the goal of making it the for Computer Science and the interdisciplinary research (WPI) offers the first Transportation, who is considered to be the Intelligence Laboratory best place on the planet to center that currently offers BA degree in Robotics. Artificial Intelligence Lab. the first truly and Traffic father of Operations Research. (SAIL) do robotics research. The Ph. D multi-disciplinary Ph. D Management. program was created during program in robotics after the 1989-1993. one at Carnegie Mellon. 1919 1956 1966 1979 2003 2006 2007
Responding to an Companies use Supply Operations Research The MIT AI Lab was founded on increasing demand for chain management originated in the efforts of the principle that vision, robotics, robots and robotic as a competitive military planners during WWII and language are the keys to systems to meet national EDUCATION weapon emphasizing and was later applied more understanding intelligence, and needs in such areas as the management of widely to problems in ultimately how the human mind defense and security, cross-functional links. works. CSAIL is the largest elder care, automation of business, industry and society. household tasks, on-campus laboratory as customized manufactur- measured by research scope ing, and interactive and membership. entertainment.
COMMERCIAL WAREHOUSE CHECK E-COMMERCE RFID BAR CODE RFID USE OF BAR MANAGEMENT E-AUCTIONS E-COMMERCE MEGA DC’S WEIGHING CODE SYSTEM (WMS)
Joseph Woodland Sensormatic, Harry Stockman Leslie H. Bowes UGPIC Warehouse FreeMarkets Amazon/eBay B2B and Bernard Silver Checkpoint & Knogo Management Systems Mega DC's (WMS) control the flow emerge to serve Future king of A weighing The Woodland Radio Frequency First commercial of inventory into, within, FreeMarkets mega markets to The earliest work eCommerce Security protocols apparatus that and Silver Identification (RFID) implementation and out of a company’s launches the first gain a competitive (HTTP) and DSL were exploring RFID DC in order to track e-Auction – an launched in 1995. advantage at began in 1948 by checks if the “bull’s eye” was leveraged for of bar coding was developed to allow for inventory at all times. online negotiation Also in this year locations are rapid access to the Harry Stockman package has been was first patent commercial use for for grocery filed with the electronic article distribution in Various technology platform that gives AuctionWeb which optimize Internet. 1998 PayPal but his idea did not for a bar code innovations were correct amount surveillance (EAS) 1970 and was the supplier the launched their site multiple regional launches their reach fruition developed in order for that is later alternative payment CHAIN power to gain markets. of the product. soon made an first generation WMS to service. SUPPLY industry standard market feedback renamed eBay. emerge, including bar to improve their by UGPIC, codes, networking proposal eventually technologies, RFID and evolving in the improved and less present day U.P.C expensive computers code and data storage. TECHNOLOGY
1948 1950 1952 1960 1970 1980 -90 1995 1995 1998> 2000
After WWII, The housing and Due to an increase More accurate As a result of the E-commerce Industry By year 2000, the economy computer industry in consumer inventory, reduced emergence of fundamentally consolidations many B2B changed the experienced 37% were the leading spending, there order processing cycle, Internet-based and the businesses in the accurate order traditional growth driven by sectors in the is a need to online auction microeconomics US and “Western 1950s and drove fulfillment and brick-and-mortar Europe represented increased automatically tools, participants sales model cutting of big-box the longest period improved worker their services in the consumer read product productivity. receive real-time out the ‘middle retailing where of U.S. economic Web to leverage spending information market informa- man’ and an advantage is secure connections and greater expansion in the during checkout. tion and time eliminating gained through and electronic productivity, 1960’s. savings compared inefficiencies in economies of payment services supply chain and which increased to face-to-face scale in resulting in transactions. This approximately the need negotiations. led the emergence production, for uniformity $700 billion in of new B2B supply sourcing and transactions of packaged chains that are distribution. goods. consumer-focused (far greater than B2C). rather than product-focused.
AF/SF (AUTONOMOUS FLEET- AGV’S ROVERS HOSPITAL ROVERS SHUTTLE SYSTEMS BASED STORAGE & FULFILLMENT)
Berrett Electronics Kiva Systems Aethon Dematic, Muratec Symbotic
Aethon TUG is an automated robotic delivery Automated storage systems for Symbotic introduces the 3D case storage and cases, totes, and tray are Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV’s) are The first autonomous fleets of mobile system for transporting various hospital carts selection system based on autonomous mobile introduced by a number of robots, or rovers. Rovers are capable of high speed mobile robots that move items around a robots, or ‘rovers’ are utilized warehouses to increase efficiency, optimize staff time and vendors using shuttles, mobile warehouse by following various types of for each pick fulfillment to retrieve access to storage locations, like shuttle, but can empower hospitals to better coordinate carts that travelling on fixed paths navigate autonomously providing access to all guides. The first could tow and store product and bring them to a warehouse. along linear rails. While the locations throughout the structure, not just delivery of care. By 2012 storage structure is similar to objects. the installed base of TUG’s has grown to mini-load systems, shuttles can individual aisles. Planning and control software handles tasks and routes for hundreds of rovers, over 450 in 150 hospital sites, delivering access storage locations on multiple levels within the same providing sufficient coordination across the fleet with 60,000 deliveries of meals, laundry, aisle simultaneously, increasing to enable exact case sequencing required for and other services per week. throughput. robotic palletizing. ROVERS 1953 2003 2005 2010 2012 Retailers, manufacturers and distributors in To increase warehouse overall Since order selectors spend about 75% of Benefit: These rovers allow for increased Vertical lifts at the ends of an effort to avoid the high cost of building productivity, AGVs increase efficiency productivity and efficiency because they work the aisles transfer cases or their time walking to retrieve products and even shuttles themselves new warehouses, look to retrofit simpler and and reduce costs by helping to automate only 25% creating the orders, this helps to around the clock and make fewer errors. to ground level. more affordable automation in their existing a manufacturing facility or warehouse. reduce this non-value added activity. They also allow nurses to focus directly on structures to accommodate a higher number patient care and satisfaction. of SKUs, increase storage utilization, and lower manual material handling costs.
COMBINATION MIXED CASE PALLETIZING AUTOMATED CASE PICK PALLETIZER/DEPALLETIZER SOFTWARE AUTOMATED CASE PICK MATRIXSELECT SOFTWARE
George von Gal Puzzle, Fraunhofer Institute Witron Schaefer Symbotic
At the end of 2011, An automatic palletizer, The Fraunhofer Institute develops A fully automated case storage and Schaefer developed a fully Symbotic developed its own proprietary palletizing system, with applications to expectations for automatic order picking software to automated case-picking system palletizing software solution with better de-palletizer and conveyor system grocery where there are a large number revenues for 2012 optimize the arrangement for mixed full-case-pallet control of pallet density, store aisle for single SKU pallets was of SKU’s. Case storage using trays were expected to of mixed SKU pallets using 3D puzzle accessed with mini-load cranes, with order selection for dry grocery differentiation, and handling special SKU developed by George von Gal to be greater as well automatically palletize layers software. This led to applications in mechanical sequencing of cases environments, storing cases characteristics. Symbotic is also the first to downstream. Pallets build robotically as individual capital beverage and similar industries where in trays. use rovers for high speed sequencing of of 24 bottle-wooded layers of using mixed case puzzle software more expenditures, which there are a limited number of SKUs. cases to the robot pallet building cells. Coca-Cola cases. capable than Franhofer. for manufacturing organizations was expected to 1969 2000 2002 2008 2012 improve by 2%. Most businesses will see this as an
PALLETIZE This system made the business This invention allowed for opportunity to The need for higher throughput case for automation in both the removal of a layer of Suitable for any retail improve operations in sequence in a AS/RS Europe, driven by land distribution process through the articles such as cans, from a solution to further reduce constraints, higher labor costs truck loading height loaded pallet and transferring delivering mixed and purchase and warehouse labor savings and availability issues as well as said layer of articles to a full-case pallets implementation and operating floor space. in the U.S. due to the need receiving conveyor. directly to store. of high tech for reductions in supply chain solutions to improve operating costs. for store friendly shipments competitive advantage through efficiency gains.
PRESIDENT OBAMA LAUNCHED SERVICE ROBOTICS NATIONAL ROBOTICS ROADMAP THE NATIONAL ROBOTICS WORKSHOP INITIATIVE INITIATIVE (NRI)
U.S.A. Carnegie Mellon University of Washington
As of 2009, the U.S. lagged behind The use of robotics technology in the service Built upon the National Robotics Roadmap, industry spans professional and domestic the EU, Japan and Korea in robotics this initiative will be a collaborative effort applications. In professional services, technology investments, risking our between the brightest academics, business applications for service robotics include ability to globally compete in the future. and service leaders in fields of science and improved mining, automated harvesters, and technology. As part of a $500M package cleaning of large-scale facilities. Application aimed at funding homegrown innovation to logistics and supply chain optimization and high-tech jobs, the NRI consists of such as provided by Matrix Select rovers is $70M intended for the development and highlighted as key new development. use of next-generation robots. FOR MORE INITIATIVE ROADMAP ROBOTICS As of Sept 16, INFORMATION 2012: $50 2009 2009 2012 Million in VISIT Research funding The National Robotics Roadmap was The initiative is led by the National An increasingly services-based U.S. economy developed to identify the future of robotics awarded by Science Foundation is also supported leads the way for the automation of services to National technology on the economics, social and by NASA, the National Institutes of improve quality and efficiency of delivery without security needs of the nation and outline the Robotics Health, and the United States additional costs. A big challenge in service initiative to technological roadmap to address these Department of Agriculture.needs robotics will be the design of high performance www.robotics-vo.com needs with an emphasis on manufacturing, university with an emphasis on manufacturing, systems in markets that are price sensitive. researchers service and medical robotics. service and medical robotics. across the to learn about upcoming news and events! country.
MAJOR ROBOTICS MILESTONES
1947 UC BERKELEY George Danztig develops SIMPLEX algorithm for Linear Programming, addressing large class of logistics / supply chain problems
1951 U MANCHESTER 1st working AI computer program
1952 MIT Patent for 1st Computer Numerical Control (CNC) of machine tools, pre-cursor for robot control developed later
1969 SRI "Shakey the Robot" robot demonstrates animal locomotion, perception, and problem solving
1970 U TOYKO Use of force feedback in robots
1973 U EDINBURGH "Freddy Assembly Robot" uses visual perception to locate and assembe models
1979 U PITTSBURGH "Internist" program uses expert knowledge for diagnosis
1979 STANFORD 1st computer controlled autonomous vehicle traverses chair filled room
LATE 1970 STANFORD ARPAnet demonstrates power for scientific collaboration, pre-cursor of Internet
EARLY 1980 MIT, SRI Robot control based on machine vision
1980 CMU Six legged walking machine
1981 CMU 1st direct drive robot arm
EARLY 1980 BUNDESWEHR U MUNIC Robot cars driving up to 55 mph on empty streets
MID 1980 HARVARD Neural networks
1986 CMU Autonomous Navigation Lab
1987 UTAH, MIT Utah/MIT Dexterous Hand demonstrates high functionality, antagonistic actuation
1993 DLR ROTEX, 1st remotely controlled space robot flown on shuttle Columbia
MID 1990 U TOKYO Humanoid robots walk, manipulate objects under visual guidance
2005 STANFORD, CMU, U PITTSBURG Five vehicle successfully complete DARPA Grand Challenge race (unviesities cited plus Team Gray, Oshkosh Truck)
SOURCES Donaldson, Dominic. "The Conveyor Belt: A Masterpiece Invention." Article Snatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2012.