An advanced intelligent robotic pallet (i-Pbot) system for the cargo-handling and aircraft-loading efficiency

Hstar proposes an advanced Omni-directional intelligent robotic pallet (i-Pbot) system for military cargo handling. The proposed i-Pbot will be designed and developed by integrating Onmi-directional Wheel Technologies for high mobility in confined spaces, high strength Hydraulic Series Elastic Actuators (SEA) for Active Compliance Control (actuation, suspension, and sensing), Telerobotics Control for enhancing the guidance of robotic pallets, and wireless sensor network for self-location capability. This system will: 1) autonomously on-load, transport and off-load cargo; 2) self-configure a network of systems that communicate within the group and with external devices/operators; 3) include intelligent navigation control and high level motion planning; 4) provide telepresence robotic control; 5) monitor inventory and system status; and 6) integrate logistics management. Our primary innovation is an automated robotic pallet system with omni-directional wheel and hydraulic compliance actuation that can run in telepresence operation mode with local process autonomy. i-Pbot will leverage core Hstar technologies including robotic actuator, omni-directional wheel, and sensor fusion. Other key features include high degrees of mobility and power actuation, intuitive OCU, advanced dynamic control, and wireless sensors for integration with networked command and control systems. BENEFIT: An automated robotic pallet system with omni-directional wheel and hydraulic compliance actuation is a crucial enabling technology for the military air cargo handling. Applications include commercial air flight cargo handling, human-safe autonomous navigation and perception system, and integrated sensor-based inventory monitoring system. Additional applications include 1) Container and Truck Loading/Unloading, 2) Warehouse Assistant Robot, and 3) Manufacturing Plant Floor Automation.