Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) transport components from the warehouse to the assembly line and transport semi-finished products from one workstation to the next. It is impossible to imagine the logistics centers of large mail order companies and factories in the automotive industry without them. The small transport robots are also used in some hospitals to supply wards and dispose of waste.

Small companies, on the other hand, very rarely use automated guided vehicles. No wonder, as the purchase is extremely expensive. Currently, almost every AGV is developed individually for the respective user. This leads to high acquisition costs and long delivery times. In addition, specialist personnel are required to set up, program and commission the AGV - and depending on the size and complexity of the system, this can take several weeks or even months.

In a joint research project, the IPH and Flexlog want to develop an affordable and flexible AGV that is ready for use much more quickly. The vehicles are to be assembled according to the modular principle, meaning that complex configurations by specialist personnel should not be necessary. Instead, a short training process will suffice - and the system will be up and running within a day.

Over the next two years, the engineers at IPH will mainly be developing hardware components for the AGV. They are designing a transfer station at which the vehicles can independently pick up and place crates as they drive past, and they are designing a load carrier that is as versatile as possible and can handle crates of different sizes. The IPH engineers are also developing a plug & play-capable load handling device: in future, companies will be able to choose the right load carrier based on a modular system. These are plugged into the vehicle via a universal interface and can be exchanged at any time. This makes it easy to adapt the vehicles to the needs of different users.

The engineers at IPH are also designing the hardware for a "smart" vehicle housing that enables human-machine interaction. The workers can communicate with the vehicle via a touch display and view the order processing status, for example. At the same time, Flexlog employees are developing the software: using appropriate control algorithms, the vehicle can automatically and reliably learn routes, detect the infrastructure and orient itself in space. The vehicle uses a front camera to recognize objects, driving lines, stop lines and much more. Flexlog is also developing an uninterrupted and autonomous charging concept: it is conceivable, for example, to charge the vehicles at the transfer points during operation. Together, the two project partners are developing a predefined configuration process that is very simple and intuitive to use. This means that the end user can put their AGV into operation within a short space of time and without any prior knowledge.

The aim of the cooperation project is to develop a prototype of a very affordable and flexible driverless transport system that is quickly ready for use. This will greatly reduce acquisition costs. This would make it much more attractive to use driverless transport systems, especially for small and medium-sized companies. This is why the Federal Ministry of Economics is supporting the innovative idea: Flexlog and IPH are receiving funding for their research and development project from the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM).