Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Kiva Robot Shelves Come To You In This Warehouse
Kiva Systems has robotic warehouse shelves that come to the workers, not the other way around. This "out of the box" thinking lets packers put orders in the box twice as fast.
Kiva has already installed their OrderFetch software and robotic shelves in two Staples warehouses; the company has announced that a third warehouse will be installed for retail giant WalMart.
(Kiva Robot Shelves on the move)
The basis of the Kiva Systems robotic warehouse is a short, hardworking orange robot; above it, a set of shelves contain items for shipping.
The Kiva OrderFetch system is aware of which packaging station requires which products. The shelves move themselves around from all over the warehouse, lining up for the packer to pick the necessary items. When the shelves are empty, they shuttle off to a station where human workers can fill them efficiently.
The system is also adaptable; when a particular product becomes popular, it is placed on more shelves and the shelves are kept closer to the packing stations. Also, workers who fill the shelves are instructed to put hot sellers in the middle shelves, where they are easiest to reach.
This system of letting the shelves move, leaving the packers in one place, reminds me of the CirculaFloor smart tile computer interface for gaming. With CirculaFloor, it is the floor tiles that move, letting the gamer stay in one place.
(From CirculaFloor from VRLab University of Tsukuba)
As the gamer walks forward in the game (seen in the 3D goggles), the floor tile that he has just stepped off from zooms around and then positions itself where he will step next. See CirculaFloor - Smart Tile Holodeck? for more information.
Take a look at a cool video of Kiva Systems OrderFetch robot shelves; via MIT Technology Review. See a CirculaFloor video.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 11/12/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
SpaceHopper Microgravity Robot Lands On Its Feet
'...a slender-legged tripod surmounted by a spherical body no larger than a football.' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1972.
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.' Robert Heinlein, 1962.
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.' - Raymond Z. Gallun, 1936.
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...' - Boris Zhitkov, 1931.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Robot Preachers Found To Undermine Religious Commitment
'Tell me your torments,' the Padre said, in an elderly voice marked with compassion.
CyberCab - Tesla Renames The Robotaxi
'A cybercab dogged their heels...'
SpaceHopper Microgravity Robot Lands On Its Feet
'...a slender-legged tripod surmounted by a spherical body no larger than a football.'
Brin's 1990 Novel Earth Still Full Of Predictions
'... making the point that their likenesses, every move they made, were being transmitted.'
'Whisper Mode' ala Blue Thunder Researched At Bristol
'Forest Lawn.'
Gaia - Why Stop With Just The Earth?
'But the stars are only atoms in larger space, and in that larger space the star-atoms could combine to form living matter, thinking matter, couldn't they?'
Microsoft VASA-1 Creates Personal Video From A Photo
'...to build up a video picture would require, say, ten million decisions every second. Mike, you're so fast I can't even think about it. But you aren't that fast.'
Splendid View Of Eclipse From Orbit Visualized And Repurposed By Arthur C. Clarke
'The area affected was five hundred kilometres across, and perfectly circular.'
Bespoke Environment Music From AIs
'Call 'em Winter Mute," said the other, making it two words.'
Goldene - A Two-Dimensional Sheet Of Gold One Atom Thick
'Hasan always pitched a Gauzy - a one-molecule-layer tent, opaque, feather-light, and very tough.'
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
