I-Corps: An Optimized Warehouse Robot Control Device

Award ID: 2227116

This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of warehouse-robot optimization control devices for human-robot or fully-automated order picking preference decisions. The proposed technology is a hardware and software-integrated firmware warehouse robot control device. The technology can potentially work in hybrid, as well as in fully automated warehouse management and fulfillment centers. It is a proposed modular system including a control device with integrated artificial intelligence and machine learning and is designed to potentially improve warehouse efficiency and productivity. The innovation focuses on two important aspects of hybrid/human and fully automated warehouse optimization: waste reduction and efficiency or productivity improvement challenges. The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a warehouse robot control device to potentially optimize order picking preferences for fully automated eCommerce management. The commercialization opportunities of the device include the global warehouse automation industry. In general, organizations in this industry experience an average of two periods of unscheduled downtime over three years. The cost of unplanned downtime is between $10,000 to $250,000 per hour. As an operational efficiency system, this technology could impact global supply chain issues and possibly provide a more reliable and faster service for all of eCommerce. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Ruth Shuman