FASTKIT: A Mobile Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Logistics

Nicolò Pedemonte (1) , Tahir Rasheed (2, 3, 4) , David Marquez-Gamez (1) , Philip Long (5, 1) , Étienne Hocquard (1) , Francois Babin (1) , Charlotte Fouché (1) , Guy Caverot (6, 1) , Alexis Girin (1) , Stéphane Caro (4, 7, 2)

1 IRT Jules Verne - Institut de Recherche Technologique Jules Verne [Bouguenais]
2 LS2N - équipe RoMas - Robots and Machines for Manufacturing, Society and Services
3 ECN - École Centrale de Nantes
4 LS2N - Laboratoire des Sciences du Numérique de Nantes
5 Irish Manufacturing Research
6 société BA Systèmes
7 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

The subject of this paper is about the design, modeling, control and performance evaluation of a low cost and versatile robotic solution for logistics. The robot under study, named FASTKIT, is obtained from a combination of mobile robots and a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot (CDPR). FASTKIT addresses an industrial need for fast picking and kitting operations in existing storage facilities while being easy to install, keeping existing infrastructures and covering large areas. The FASTKIT prototype consists of two mobile bases that carry the exit points of the CDPR. The system can navigate autonomously to the area of interest. Once the desired position is attained, the system deploys the CDPR in such a way that its workspace corresponds to the current task specification. The system calculates the required mobile base position from the desired workspace and ensures the controllability of the platform during the deployment. Once the system is successfully deployed, the set of stabilizers are used to ensure the prototype structural stability. Then the prototype gripper is moved accurately by the CDPR at high velocity over a large area by controlling the cable tension.

Domaines: Génie mécanique [physics.class-ph]; Automatique / Robotique

Nicolò Pedemonte, Tahir Rasheed, David Marquez-Gamez, Philip Long, Étienne Hocquard, et al.. FASTKIT: A Mobile Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Logistics. Advances in Robotics Research: From Lab to Market, 132, Springer, pp.141-163, 2020, Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics 978-3-030-22327-4. ⟨10.1007/978-3-030-22327-4_8⟩. ⟨hal-02296120⟩