An automated object retrieval system for warehouses

Abstract

The transport of objects in a warehouse is an indispensible but time consuming task, and is therefore the focus of extensive research. This paper presents a system that autonomously retrieves boxes placed in shelves according to the part number fed in the system by the user. The system utilizes a modified implementation of the A* algorithm to determine the shortest path for retrieving the objects. A maximum of three objects can be retrieved in one round by the robot. After retrieval, the objects are delivered to a delivery station. Line tracking sensors are used for robot navigation. Telescoping arms mounted on the robot are used to retrieve objects from the shelves. The guidance algorithm and Graphic User Interface (GUI) have been implemented using MATLAB® and the robot has been designed using SolidWorks®.