Cable-Driven Robots for the Rapid Deployment of Fully Automated Material Handling Solutions

Abstract:
This paper shows the use of cable-driven parallel robots to speed up the deployment of material handling solutions. For multi-channel businesses which look to expand their product and business lines quickly or have the need of temporary distribution centers this may be the critical success factor. Today’s most advanced logistic centers rely on dynamic and self-adapting robotic shuttles to handle the inventory. Pairing the flexibility of the shuttle system with an even more flexible and light weight cable-driven parallel robot results in a fully automated, adjustable, and cost effective handling solution. This paper deals with the challenge of short setup times and reliable operation of the cable-driven robot as well as the inaccurately known shuttle positions.