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JUNGHEINRICH’s easyPILOT Follow makes picking efficient: Using the Wismit precise positioning platform developed by Fraunhofer IIS, the picking vehicle autonomously follows the picker and greatly simplifies workflows during loading and unloading. The picker simply wears an operating unit on their belt or in their trouser pocket, leaving both hands free during the picking process.
Control of the picking vehicle relies on determining the position of the picker, who carries a radio remote control that is connected to the vehicle. The picker’s relative position is determined by means of UWB distance values. The picking vehicle keeps following the operator and stops in precisely the right spot so that the goods can be placed in the correct position on the fork. There is an absolutely secure connection between the operator and the vehicle at all times, which averts malfunctions due to visual obstacles or other sources of interference.
With easyPILOT Follow, pickers no longer have to waste time getting on and off the picking vehicle or walking longer distances from the picking station to the vehicle . Instead, they simply carry a sensor in their pocket and can focus fully on the picking process. In practice, this leads to an increase in picks. Wismit technology ensures positioning accuracy even when the vehicle is fully loaded. In collaboration with JUNGHEINRICH, easyPILOT Follow has already been extensively tested and is now on sale as a finished product. This means easyPILOT Follow can ensure error-free picking processes and maximum efficiency in the warehouse.
Fraunhofer IIS has comprehensive technical and business know-how to assist you as you introduce positioning technologies. We have access to state-of-the-art measuring techniques and methods, to conveyor technology, as well as to an entire test center for simulating real application scenarios.
Moreover, we offer you all the expertise needed for a complete customer-specific system solution in the field of positioning, communication, identification and navigation. We conduct research and development work that is tailored to your business case, whether for new solutions or to adapt existing products.
In the adjacent video you can see an example of the integration of the Wismit tracking platform into a real product.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS