Autonomous transport vehicles
From the factory floor to the "wild"
As part of a consortium led by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the AGV provider DS Automotion is working on a two-year research project to release the driverless transport vehicle 'Sally' into public spaces.
An autonomously driving personal assistant could relieve pedestrians and thus increase the incentive for active forms of mobility.
© Nikolaus Korab DesignThey already exist in factory halls: vehicles that transport their freight from A to B without a driver. One example of this is the 'Sally' transport vehicle from DS Automotion. As part of a consortium supported by bmvit and FFG, the Linz-based company has been researching technologies for autonomous vehicles to relieve the burden on people who run their errands on foot since fall 2016. "In contrast to the well-defined operating environment in industrial production facilities, external influences must be taken into account that can hardly be predicted," says Dr. Andreas Richtsfeld, Technology and Product Development at DS Automotion.
The predecessor project 'TransitBuddy', which has already been completed, highlighted the need for further research, particularly with regard to autonomous driving among people. DS Automotion has therefore joined a consortium led by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology to research and clarify these issues. The Institute of Computer-aided Automation at TU Wien, Blue Danube Robotics and the bkm design working group are also contributing their specialist expertise to the research consortium.
The project, which will run until autumn 2018, will initially investigate target group-specific usage motives and barriers as well as the movement behavior of people when interacting with autonomous vehicles. Dynamic 3D physics simulations and equipping the transport platform with an "artificial skin" for navigation with physical contact are intended to support the development of movement strategies. An essential part of the research project is the development of a transport carrier 'Sally' suitable for human-robot interaction as well as its implementation and testing in a real environment.
You might also be interested in
Audi - The future is called 'modular assembly'
Audi is working on a new production concept to get to grips with the rapidly increasing number of vehicle variants in car manufacturing: moving away from assembly line production towards modular assembly. Mobile solutions play a key role here.
read more...Drones as flying plant guards
The future of pipeline, plant and overhead line monitoring could lie in flying inspection systems. Siemens has already taken up this topic and is relying on sensor-equipped drones and intelligent 3D image analysis, among other things.
read more...MTCON and Sensor-Technik Wiedemann combine expertise
MTConnectivity power2pcb (MTCON) has a new shareholder: Sensor-Technik Wiedemann (STW) has held a stake in the power element manufacturer since the end of 2019.
read more...Electromobility / green electricity
Intelligent charging saves fossil fuels
Charging electric cars can overload the electricity grid and lead to fossil fuel power plants having to step in. This is unnecessary and leads to high costs for grid operators. BMW and Tennet want to change this.
read more...Service robotics at Conrad Electronic
Sales robots in use around the clock
To provide its customers with a 24/7 shopping experience in Berlin Schöneberg, Conrad Electronic has now deployed a sales robot. The robot 'Alex' is designed to provide a high-tech shopping experience. It comes from the manufacturer pi4_robotics.
read more...Ridesharing field test in Paris
Renault tests Zoe as a robo-taxi
Renault launches a ridesharing field trial in Paris with two autonomous Zoe robo-taxis. The two prototypes have been specially modified. In addition to the technology for automated driving, they have a modified interior with multimedia and on-board...
read more...Robots for the hospital of the future
ABB has opened its first global Health Care Hub dedicated specifically to healthcare research on the campus of the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, Texas. A number of technology concepts were presented at the opening, including a mobile YuMi...
read more...Weidmüller, Enercity and Wallbe form alliance
Weidmüller Mobility Concepts, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Weidmüller Group, has acquired a 25.1% stake in Paderborn-based Wallbe GmbH from Hanover-based Enercity AG. Wallbe is a full-service provider of e-mobility charging solutions.
read more...New 'Digital Products and Services' division
With the new product division 'Digital Products and Services', Ecom is introducing a ready-to-use service for all mobile devices. What exactly is behind this announcement?
read more...