A vision for future logistics
“From the real-time insights and real-time information, people have the exact view of what’s going on at any point in time in any square cubic metre of the warehouse”
Andrei Danescu Dexory CEO
Revealing the potential of pairing mobile logistics robots with machine vision is UK company Dexory. The DexoryView data visualisation software platform receives a given warehouse’s data from autonomous robots, which collect images and point cloud information to create a ‘digital twin’ in real time. This means operators can know the status and condition of warehouse racks and items on them at any time.
“We’re operating like an OEM full stack solution provider,” he continues. “We build everything from hardware, all the way to the cloud platform and APIs, and integration with customers.” This means its solutions are flexible to the needs of the client. For example, the robots are modular and bespoke for each application, adapted to the environment which they will patrol. The latest robot can extend up to 12m, ensuring it can scan warehouses of any shape or size.
At the base of each robot is a lidar system and stereo cameras for navigation, allowing object and obstacle detection so that it can navigate autonomously and safely through the space. Further up is a range of machine vision cameras, whose makeup depends on individual customer requirements.
“We’re operating like an OEM full stack solution provider,” he continues. “We build everything from hardware, all the way to the cloud platform and APIs, and integration with customers.” This means its solutions are flexible to the needs of the client. For example, the robots are modular and bespoke for each application, adapted to the environment which they will patrol. The latest robot can extend up to 12m, ensuring it can scan warehouses of any shape or size.
At the base of each robot is a lidar system and stereo cameras for navigation, allowing object and obstacle detection so that it can navigate autonomously and safely through the space. Further up is a range of machine vision cameras, whose makeup depends on individual customer requirements.
“As an example, a robot could be operating for eight hours during a complete warehouse scan, taking 20 to 30 frames per second with anything between six and 16 cameras, including standard monochrome cameras, colour cameras and stereo cameras,” says Danescu. “So there are a lot of images that are being taken of the state of the racks and the state of the warehouse to allow us to do this real-time visibility and reconstruction.”
Already deployed at a Maersk warehouse in Kettering, UK, Dexory’s solution is helping Maersk measure, track and locate goods across every logistics step, from inbound to storage to outbound in order to drive zero errors and operational efficiency. “The warehouse managers and warehouse operators use it to make sure they have the exact view of what’s going on on the warehouse floor,” says Danescu. “At the same time, business intelligence teams look at this information to understand and analyse warehouse utilisation to see if they can accommodate another customer in that warehouse and how they can best optimise the general operation at the country level and European level.”
Next up for Dexory is enhancing its offering through the newly introduced DexoryView platform. It plans to add historic data analysis, predictive modules and even simulation facilities: “This will allow our customers to make changes in a virtual world so they can assess what implications those might have on their operations without disrupting any actual operations,” says Danescu. “There’s a lot coming out of the DexoryView technology stack over the next six to eight months.”
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