Over 170 experts in the field of driverless transport systems met this week at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics to exchange information on current developments in the segment of flexible automation and human-machine cooperation at the AGV conference.
Professor Alice Kirchheim, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML), opened the conference with a keynote address on mobile and humanoid robots, placing their development and current hype within the context of the present situation. She showed videos of humanoid robots currently being used in warehouses: "Do you see how many people are walking around in the background? Many are afraid that the machine will replace humans. But the vision is: humans working together with machines," said Kirchheim.
Experts from the field of AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) reported on how humans and machines can collaborate in practice in seven presentations and a panel discussion: Users and operators presented their experiences with implementing driverless transport systems in their companies and also discussed technical details of the implemented solutions. At the same time, they also highlighted the challenges companies may face and which strategies are helpful.
Photos: IML
An important aspect is convincing employees of the new technology and making it clear that the vision of "humans working with machines" can already be a reality. About the AGV conference:
The AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) conference was initiated by the VDI (Association of German Engineers) AGV technical committee, which, together with the Forum-FTS (Forum AGV), is the event's technical sponsor. From 1991 to 2000, the conference was held at the University of Duisburg, and from 2002 to 2010, it took place at the University of Hanover. In 2012, the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) took over the organization and has continued the tradition ever since.
