Autonomous vehicles
DPD tests swarm robots for the "depot of the future"
Autonomous vehicles that race across the warehouse floor in a swarm at speeds of up to ten meters per second and deposit parcels with pinpoint accuracy: What sounds like science fiction at first was already reality at Depot 250 in Cologne-Porz.
So-called LoadRunners were tested there for a period of two weeks under almost real conditions to determine their suitability for practical use. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics developed the autonomous transport vehicles. And together with the institute, the Kion Group wants to bring the autonomous swarm robot to market maturity. DPD is acting as an industrial partner in this exciting project in the practical test.
The LoadRunner is a real revolution in intralogistics. The driverless transport vehicles are not only incredibly fast and maneuverable, they also set new standards in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Although they move independently of each other in the logistics space, they coordinate their transport routes with each other and collaboratively solve transport tasks as required. The individual LoadRunner can transport and sort parcels weighing between 200 grams and 31.5 kilograms and with a maximum edge length of 60 centimetres on its own. This currently corresponds to around 60 to 65 percent of DPD's parcel range. However, should a LoadRunner ever need the help of its "colleagues", several vehicles can connect quickly and easily and thus transport bulky parcels as a team to the desired destination in the depot.
"The high speed and swarm intelligence of the LoadRunner are absolutely fascinating and therefore a real game changer for us. We are very pleased that we were able to accompany the first sorting trial in Cologne-Porz as an industrial partner. And of course there are already scenarios for how we can scale the LoadRunner model across Germany. But to be honest, we are still at a very early stage. Our first priority is therefore to evaluate all the data and key figures obtained," says Lukas Bauer, Senior Group Manager Corporate Real Estate & Technology at DPD Germany
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