Automatic storage and retrieval systems : These have been created to handle large volumes of goods. They are controlled by specially created software and are highly valued for their speed when storing and retrieving products.
AS/RS, as they are known, use cranes and shuttles for mobility between aisles and in warehouses. These automatic storage and retrieval systems are one of the most common types of industrial robots and usually have different systems because they are developed to suit the facilities where they are going to be used.
Articulated robotic arms and feet : These are articulated devices that simulate real human movements. They move in different directions and have the ability to lift and turn packages and other goods.
Robotic arms are more commonly used than feet, because their extremities allow for easy and safe manipulation. Feet have other qualities compared to robotic arms: they guarantee maximum efficiency and their batteries last a long time.
Cobots: 'Collaborative robots' . They are widely used and are rapidly expanding, with the disadvantage, at least for the moment, of not being completely autonomous. Cobots require operators to assist them and direct their movements.
Logistics
What is a cobot?
The use of collaborative robots is booming, which is why it is interesting to ask: What exactly is a cobot ? We are dealing with a type of industrial robot that is not 100% autonomous, but requires a duly qualified person to manage its operation, hence the name it receives and why they are now popularly known as cobots .
These machines are used for mechanical tasks and routine hong kong whatsapp data activities that require a certain amount of precision and that involve a certain amount of wear and tear for the users who perform them. Among their applications, we find the transport and handling of goods or the mobile monitoring of workers, applications that are very useful in frequent situations in certain types of businesses –e-commerce, for example– that require the preparation of orders on a frequent basis. Cobots are very useful systems that are making their way into companies in the sector that want to streamline their internal processes and increase business productivity.
Having industrial robots in a warehouse or production/transport center requires highly specialized profiles of professionals who know the different systems for logistics activities that exist on the market. The implementation of technology and equipment such as these must be gradual and must respond to the real and primary needs of the company.
As we have pointed out, there are different types of industrial robots and choosing one or another will depend on the assessment made by professionals in the field. However, there are a number of considerations common to all of them:
They must be controllable by operators , since they are automated systems.
They must have rigid structures and mechanical arms to handle the goods and to move safely and following an itinerary marked by the professional who directs it.
They must have different levels of autonomy , depending on the number of joints/arms that make it up.
Have variability, in terms of the volumes that can be handled (weight), and the speed at which they perform the tasks assigned to them.
This machinery and technology provide numerous benefits to companies that adopt them, as they reduce production and labor costs, increase business productivity, provide greater safety in the workspace and optimize the final quality of products, among others. This is why the types of industrial robots found on the market are especially valued in areas such as distribution, logistics and transport.
Professionals who want to train in this sector must be aware of the existence of resources such as robots for industry , understand how they work and in which contexts they should be used. At EAE Business School Barcelona we are committed to including this training in such specialized master's degrees as the so-called ' Master in Supply Chain Management & Logistics '. Its theoretical-practical approach includes references to technology and machinery such as those described above to provide graduates with a broad and global vision of the 'end-to-end' supply chain that allows them to enter the job market with a very high level of professional training.
For those who are committed to going further and have the goal of managing companies and work teams, the Master in Project Management is another of the training proposals in which there is room and it is necessary to provide students with knowledge in relation to industrial robots as an important part in the logistics sector. This is one of the skills and technical knowledge that must be mastered by those people who want to be at the head of companies linked to logistics or with needs related to this field of activity.