Workshop on Robotics for Logistics and Transport

European Robotics Forum 201920 March, 8:30-10:00Bucharest, Romania

Round-Table DiscussionWrap-Up and Conclusions

Image! Images from the companies?ILIAD clipart?

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Key questions

1. What are the big open issues for robotics in the logistics domain?

2. What step changes are required for these issues?

3. What is the role of academia vs industry?

4. What’s in it for the workers?

5. Will your end users accept non-static trajectories and traffic rules?

6. Last-mile delivery: will drones be a realistic option?

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1. What are the big open issues for robotics in the logistics domain?

Issues that were mentioned during the talks:

(a) Ease of deployment

(b) Reliability of hardware and software

(c) Flexibility and throughput

(d) Trust in robots (human-robot interaction)

(e) Perception: segmentation of tightly stacked objects

(f) Safety: safe and efficient movement around people; conservative safety standards

(g) Accuracy in navigation (localisation and control)

(h) Task allocation

(i) Modelling dynamic environments

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(a) Ease of deployment

Ease of deployment identified as the key overall issue.● Easy programming and interaction● Standardisation for interoperability● Cross-manufacturer control system

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(b) Reliability of hardware and software

● Robots in logistics do long shifts: both hardware and software needs to be solid over time.

● Case in point: One of the 3D cameras tested by Magazino deformed from heat.● Many things are reflective/specular in warehouses. Perception algorithms and

sensors need to be robust w.r.t. reflective surfaces.● Lesson learned: collect as much end-user data as possible, add tests for failure

cases, use them to better train parameters.● USB sensors are not suitable for industrial use.

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3. What is the role of academia vs industry?

● “Does industry need academia?”● Yes!● Academia needed to push the limits.● Research papers are being read and used by the industry.

● Follow-up question: “does academia need industry?”● Yes!● Massive engineering workload needed for bringing technology to deployment● Case in point: Bosch Rexroth spent two years just for making an existing system robust and ready,

and removing ROS dependencies.● Industry context needed for answering relevant problems. “Start with a problem, not with a solution.”

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4. What’s in it for the workers?

(Is there a conflict between between robotisation and warehouse workers?)● It is hard to get direct input from workers.● Younger staff tend to be more positive?

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Key open issues listed at the ERF2015 workshop

(See slides from ERF2015 . Prioritised issues in bold face.)

1) [Deployment] Avoid hand-crafted paths; auto-avoid deadlocks; adapt without re-deployment

2) [Nonholonomic vehicles] Articulated; changing payload; efficient trajectory generation

3) [Efficiency & safety] Perception at high speeds; human-like driving; account for human actions

4) [Dynamics] Identify different types of dynamics and learn how they are spatially distributed; exploit dynamics to better localisation and planning

5) [Planning] Auto-resolve deadlocks (w/ formal guarantees); trajectory envelopes and not precise traj. Instances; online refinement of plans when deadlines/obstacles change; planning at different levels of abstraction

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Conclusions

● Most issues from 2015 are still as relevant today.● Easy deployment is still key (avoid high deployment costs for SMEs etc).● Lack of standardisation for interoperability also identified as key obstacle to easy

deployment.● Industry-grade localisation without markers is still not solved (but collaborative

localisation within fleet can mitigate the problem).● Industry-grade 3D cameras are hard to find (need precision, robustness to

specular environments, long-term mechanical stability).

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Links

Workshop web site

http://web.itainnova.es/eurobotics/erf-2019-workshop-robotics-for-logistics-and-transport/

Topic Group web site

http://web.itainnova.es/eurobotics/

Join the topic groupemail to jalfonso@itainnova.es or martin.magnusson@oru.se