FedEx’s New Robot Loads Delivery Trucks Like It’s Playing 3D Tetris
Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:22 am
FedEx’s New Robot Loads Delivery Trucks Like It’s Playing 3D Tetris
Read more here:
https://www.wired.com/story/fedexs-new- ... 3d-tetris/
FedEx handles over 15 million packages daily. A two-armed, AI-infused robot is now helping pack some of them into delivery trucks with expert care.
FEDEX UNVEILED A two-armed robot called DexR this week that’s designed to automate one of the trickiest tasks facing the company’s human employees—loading a truck with packages.
The new robot aims to use artificial intelligence to stack rows of differently sized boxes inside a delivery truck as efficiently as possible, attempting to maximize how many will fit.
That task is far from easy for a machine. “Packages come in different sizes, shapes, weights, and packaging materials, and they come randomized,” says Rebecca Yeung, vice president of operations and advanced technology at FedEx. The robot uses cameras and lidar sensors to perceive the packages and must then plan how to configure the available boxes to make a neat wall, place them snugly without crushing anything, and react appropriately if any packages slip.
Read more here:
https://www.wired.com/story/fedexs-new- ... 3d-tetris/
FedEx handles over 15 million packages daily. A two-armed, AI-infused robot is now helping pack some of them into delivery trucks with expert care.
FEDEX UNVEILED A two-armed robot called DexR this week that’s designed to automate one of the trickiest tasks facing the company’s human employees—loading a truck with packages.
The new robot aims to use artificial intelligence to stack rows of differently sized boxes inside a delivery truck as efficiently as possible, attempting to maximize how many will fit.
That task is far from easy for a machine. “Packages come in different sizes, shapes, weights, and packaging materials, and they come randomized,” says Rebecca Yeung, vice president of operations and advanced technology at FedEx. The robot uses cameras and lidar sensors to perceive the packages and must then plan how to configure the available boxes to make a neat wall, place them snugly without crushing anything, and react appropriately if any packages slip.