How robots solve challenging situations
And how they call for support when needed
In today’s most advanced warehouses, Magazino’s autonomous robot TORU works side by side with human colleagues. The robot is specialized in picking, transporting, and stowing objects like shoe boxes in e‑commerce warehouses. But another skill is also crucial to survive in a buzzing warehouse: dealing with the unexpected.
Sensors and computer vision enable the robot to work next to humans in a safe way. But working with humans in the same environment also means dealing with the chaotic world that humans are used to. Sometimes this can be a challenge for autonomous systems like mobile picking robots. That’s why Magazino developed different ways to support them.
Level 1 — Robots help themselves
The TORU robots learn from their individual experience by utilizing methods of Artificial Intelligence. Through cloud-based knowledge sharing, the individual robot also profits from years of experience of the entire robot fleet. The robots identify challenging situations and adapt immediately to solve them best. That’s why TORU can handle the vast majority of difficult or unforeseen situations on itself.
Level 2 — Users support the robots
If there are situations the robot TORU cannot solve by itself – like when the target compartment is physically not reachable – TORU is able to ask for help. Just like humans would do.
Simple, easy to understand tutorials are pushed to mobile devices and provide guidance on where to find the robot in the warehouse and how to solve the issue. Collaboratively robots and humans are resolving the issue together, keeping the availability of the robot fleet high at all times.
One aspect of this is the software “OpsGenie”. This tool helps to coordinate errors, interventions, on-site operations, and remote support engineers from Magazino when the robots are confronted with challenging situations.
Level 3 — Remote support by Magazino
And for the most difficult cases, the Magazino Support Center is just one click away to help with remote support. Having remote access to robot data and sensors, remote operators from Magazino proactively contact users to support with video call or chat. Together they solve the issue, and the TORU robots are back on track within minutes.