Situational behavior control for interactive, automated guided vehicles

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are unsteady conveyors and suitable for logistics. To reduce installation costs and to make AGVs economically more feasible for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), autonomously acting AGVs are used. These AGVs can be ordered decentrally via natural communication channels of humans. Most frequently, people interact via speech. The aim of this thesis is to examine how well a decentralized speech control for autonomously operating AGVs works in intralogistics and which impact the operator's cognitive information processing has. For this purpose, a speech control system for AGVs and an electroencephalography (EEG)-based measurement system were developed to investigate cognitive information processing. Four independent studies were conducted to evaluate the interaction with the AGVs. The results confirm the assumption that a speech control for AGVs in intralogistics can be used speaker-independently. However, noise has a significant influence on the recognition error of the speech control. In addition, it was found that the interaction is realizable in real time and that inattention and relaxation of the operator have a significant effect on the work result.

cognition, speech control, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), human-machine-interaction (HMI)

Men and machines will soon be working side by side. Researchers at IPH contribute to this trend: They have developed a driverless forklift truck which understands human language and gestures.

Industry 4.0, logistics, autonomous transportation, AGV

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with autonomous behavior and decentralized human-machine interaction (HMI) are suitable for use in logistics. To facilitate natural interaction, HMI may involve both speech and gesture control. This paper presents a new cognitive approach based on electroencephalography (EEG) for multimodal HMI combining speech and gesture control for AGVs used in logistics. The results indicate that implicit EEG-based measures such as alertness and relaxation significantly affect speech control performance. Consequently, monitoring the user's cognitive workload during logistic operations may lead to a substantial improvement in work performance.

logistics, cognitive robotics, electroencephalography

In today's production and logistics systems automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) play a central role for the Realization of a powerful internal material transport. Through the use of cognitive technologies industiral trucks should be enabled, similar to humans, to respond flexibly to changes in physical environment and organizational changes in the workflow. This creates interactive AGV, which are superior to currently available conventional AGV because they can adapt their behavior independently and flexibly to changing production environments and requirements. As part of this the current high implementation effort for AGVS can be reduced at the same time.

AGVS, gesture control, voice control

This presentation explains the results of the research project "FTF out of the box" and especially goes into the developed man-machine interface for automated guided vehicles (AGV), which was realized by a voice and gesture control.

man-machine interface, voice control, gesture control, AGV

The presentation introduced the research project FTF out of the Box to the audience. The presentation focused on the speech- and gesture-based control of automated guided vehicles that was develeped by IPH.

digitalization, automated guided vehicles

The presentation introduced the research project FTF out of the Box to the audience. The presentation focused on the speech and gesture control develeped by IPH as well as the project results developed by Jungheinrich AG.

digitalization, automated guided vehicles

Automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) are an example of high-performance production systems in intralogistics and in many areas of internal material transportation. The essential function of an AGVS is the automatic control of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) which can be equipped with application-specific load handling devices ( e. g., telescopic forks or lift tables). Therefore an AGV is used in different application fields such as pallet transport, installation or commissioning. In this project, a speech and gesture control and autonomous navigation for AGV are implemented.

AGV, speech control, gesture control, autonoumous navigation

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with autonomous behavior and decentralized human-machine interaction (HMI) are suitable for use in logistics. To facilitate natural interaction, HMI may involve both speech and gesture control. This paper presents a new cognitive approach based on electroencephalography (EEG) for multimodal HMI combining speech and gesture control for AGVs used in logistics. The results indicate that implicit EEG-based measures such as alertness and relaxation significantly affect speech control performance. Consequently, monitoring the user's cognitive workload during logistic operations may lead to a substantial improvement in work performance.

logistics, cognitive robotics, electroencephalography

In this presentation the results of the research project "FTF out of the box" are presented. The focus is on the innovative man-machine interface based on a voice and gesture control which was developed by IPH.

man-machine interface, voice control, gesture control, AGV

Within the research project "Situational behavior control for interactive, automated guided vehicles" a voice and gesture-based control concept was developed and implemented on an automated forklift truck. Based on an industrial application the economic value of this system is to be reviewed in the context of a material flow simulation.

gesture control, speech control, automated guided vehicles

This article shows how the known human capabilities for flexibility and adaptation to changing environmental conditions, which are reflected in the cognitive characteristics of people, can be transferred to forklift trucks in intralogistics. As examples for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in intralogistics, technologies are introduced that allow forklift trucks to recognize their surroundings, to communicate information, to conclude and therefore act autonomously, to make decisions, to learn or to plan. These capabilities are realized by an optical positioning system, a camera-based storage and retrieval support system, tire integrated sensors and new interaction concepts for forklift trucks in the form of speech and gesture.

forklift truck, gesture control, speech control, 3D-camera, optical positioning system

This paper is concerned to technology trends in logistics and shows a user interface which is focused on voice commands for using it with automated guided vehicles (AGV). Furthermore a multimodal human-machine interaction (HMI) will be presented, which gives the user the possibility to communicate and control an AGV due to information from a speech recognition system and an electroencephalograph (EEG). It will be shown which potentials based on the merging between the acoustical voice signals and the non-invasive recording of the brainwaves from the EEG-Headset are available. By the detection of the cognitive and emotional state of the user from the signal curves by the EEG like attention or mental effort, an intelligent HMI should be realized. As a result, dialogues between humans and machines could be used more efficient and wrong inputs, like for example the request for a reconfirmation if an inattention is detected, could be reduced. First perceptions will be shown in this paper. In conclusion there will be a prospect of upcoming studies in the future.

driverless transport systems, driverless transport vehicles, voice control, eeg

This paper is concerned to technology trends in logistics and shows a user interface which is focused on voice commands for using it with automated guided vehicles (AGV). Furthermore a multimodal human-machine interaction (HMI) will be presented, which gives the user the possibility to communicate and control an AGV due to information from a speech recognition system and an electroencephalograph (EEG). It will be shown, which potentials based on the merging between the acoustical voice signals and the non-invasive recording of the brainwaves from the EEG-Headset are available. By the detection of the cognitive and emotional state of the user from the signal curves by the EEG like attention or mental effort, an intelligent HMI should be realized. As a result of this, dialogues between humans and machines could be used more efficient and wrong inputs, like for example the request for a reconfirmation if an inattention is detected, could be reduced. First perceptions will be shown in this paper. In conclusion there will be a prospect of upcoming studies in the future.

driverless transport systems, driverless transport vehicles, voice control, eeg

In the context of industry 4.0 cognitive technical systems are systems that can adapt functionality flexibly and completely personalized to the specific needs of an operator or a product. Due to a wide range of intelligent sensors technical systems have the cognitive ability. In this presentation, examples of cognitive system from the intralogistics are shown.

intralogistics, cognitive system, sensor technology, industry 4.0

Unlike current production and transport systems the human being has the ability to adapt to physical changes in the workplace as well as organizational changes of the workflow. The aim of the research project " FTF out-of -the-box " is to empower fork lift trucks through cognitive technologies to autonomously handle tasks in logistic processes and execute them independently. Transport orders are given by voice and gesture control. To implement such an interactive autonomous guided vehicle ( AGV) a distributed intelligence to optimize its behavior independently and flexibly by adapting to changing production environments is needed.

driverless transport systems, cognition,production systems, flow of information, human-machine inter

Automated guided vehicle systems (AGVS) are a vital component for efficient production systems in connection to intra logistics and essential for parts of the internal material handling, so they could not imagine living without them. The essential function of an AGVS is to control the automated guided vehicles (AGV), which are able to provide with application-specific load handling devices like telescopic forks or lifting tables, automatically. AGV could be used in different parts of applications like for example the transport of pallets, assembly or commissioning. The motivation of this project is to develop a new market for competitive autonomous transport systems. Economic forklifts should be created by technological development to handle logistical subtasks, like transferring goods, commissioning and transporting, autonomously.

driverless transport systems, driverless transport vehicles, autonomous, 3d camera technology, voice

Logistics is an essential part of the value chain. Therefore, sustainable logistics systems are a decisive competitive and success factor for companies. Through individual customer requirements, shorter innovation cycles and an increasing variety of product types, the requirements have become increasingly complex in the material handling engineering sectors. To meet these requirements and to allow a continuous increase in efficiency of logistics systems, the development of innovative systems is necessary. A key to the design of such systems is the use of optical technologies. Using a simplified scenario the possibilities of optical technologies in intralogistics are represented in this paper.

materials handling, optical communication, optics, intralogistics