A robotic experimental platform for testing and validating warehouse automation algorithms

Abstract

In the recent years, Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are gradually integrated to warehouse management systems. The employment of AGVs has numerous advantages over conventional warehouse systems in terms of cost, scalability and efficiency. In this work, we present the development of a small-scale test-bed platform for testing and validating warehouse automation control algorithms utilizing a swarm of AGVs. The proposed platform is scalable, fast, and effective in both cost and dimensions. The robotic drives are centimeter-scale forklifts that transport autonomously an arbitrary number of circular pallets to predefined reference locations. A conflict resolution algorithm is implemented such that the drives do not collide with each other during their operation. In addition, a task allocation logic handles the pallets' assignment to avoid the enclosure of the drives by the transported objects. The applicability of the testbed platform is demonstrated through experimental results.