JULY/AUGUST 2019 COVER STORY
Above: Hank the robot is able to
apply the correct amount of grip
to safely pick delecate items
robot with flexible ‘fingers’ inspired
by the human hand. Using a sensory
system embedded in the fingers, Hank
is able to use exactly the right amount
of pressure to grip and hold objects.
For the warehousing sector, this is
a potential game-changer, says the
company’s logistics commercial lead,
Bruce Ackman.
“Imagine using Hank to fulfil
an online grocery order where the
customer orders avocadoes that
must be ripe for a dinner party in
five days’ time. Hank’s sense of touch
can sense the ripeness of individual
avocadoes and select those that its
algorithm determines have a ripeness
that, when selected, will be perfect for
consumption in time for the party.”
While Hank may still be some way
from becoming part and parcel of every warehouse,
Ocado’s successful application of robots is a shining example
of what can be done – albeit with a team of world-class software
engineers and extremely deep pockets. Speaking at the recent
Siemens Digital Talks summit in Liverpool, Andrew Selim, a
project manager at Ocado, explained the impact that automation
has had on the company.
“We always knew the benefits that robotics could bring,”
he said. “We say we’re in the time travel business, as we are
able to give customers back the time they would have spent in a
supermarket. Despite this, when we opened our first fulfilment
centre, in Hatfield, in 2002, it was considered science fiction
by most. We treated that site like a giant Petri-dish to discover
what worked best. By 2013, we realised that we’d outgrown the
technology that was currently on offer, and could no longer
just go shopping at third-party automation suppliers. Ocado,
a grocery company, had to develop its own robotic solutions.
“One of the advantages that robots have over other types
of automation is versatility. If a robot has a problem on our
warehouse floor, any of the others can take its place. Similarly,
we only have one type of machine to evolve and develop.”
A cheaper alternative?
At the other end of the scale, there are simple steps towards
automation that those with a smaller budget can strive towards.
“Automation can be a leveller for smaller operations and is
often a more palatable solution than throwing people at a
Automated vehicles run the
materials handling process
at Brose in Coventry
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Product Designer, MiniTec UK
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