The Robotic Truck Unloader (RTU) is an autonomous robotic platform capable of unloading floor loaded trailers or ocean freight containers from a receiving dock.
The RTU autonomously drives into the container and automatically unloads the floor loaded product until the container is empty without any human intervention.
A three dimensional (3D) machine vision system, WynSight, developed by Wynright, identifies the location of the individual cases within the load, the robot determines the best gripping strategy, and using vacuum, moves the cases to an outbound extendable conveyor. The RTU merges the latest technology in robotics, mobility, camera hardware, and 3D vision algorithms.
The system doesn’t just use vision to guide the robot, it uses an advanced perception system that allows it to sense and acquire information of the loaded container without any prior information of the contents and how they are loaded. The perception technology allows the system to be completely non-deterministic, in that is does not have predetermined paths that it repeats over and over.
Rather, the paths are calculated based on the case locations and dimensions which is much different from general robotic applications. This integrated technology of advanced robotics, mobility and perception not only change how products are unloaded, but will open up many other processes within the warehouse and manufacturing where robots are currently not used.
This revolutionary product will allow distribution centers and manufacturers to implement automation on the receiving dock, a space where automation has been limited or non-existent. This technology will have a huge impact in the logistics network where products are floor loaded; which includes the millions of ocean freight containers that get shipped and received internationally in this global economy.
In addition, this automation technology has the potential to shift the economics such that trailer loads that were previously shipped in pallet form can be transported as floor loads, increasing the trailer cube utilization, reducing the number of shipments to move the same freight.
Download this spec sheet to learn more about the Wynright Robotic Truck Unloader (RTU).
