• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Advertise
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Features list
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsor an article
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Subscribe to Newsletter

Robotics & Automation News

Where Innovation Meets Imagination

  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Editorial Sections A-Z
    • Agriculture
    • Aircraft
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Automation
    • Autonomous Vehicles
    • Business
    • Computing
    • Construction
    • Culture
    • Design
    • Drones
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Engineering
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial robots
    • Industry
    • Infrastructure
    • Investments
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Marine
    • Material handling
    • Materials
    • Mining
    • Promoted
    • Research
    • Robotics
    • Science
    • Sensors
    • Service robots
    • Software
    • Space
    • Technology
    • Transportation
    • Warehouse robots
    • Wearables
  • Press releases
  • Events

Fully automatic picking of unknown products from bulk material

November 23, 2021 by David Edwards

The goal: fully automated small parts picking.

In intralogistics, there has been a lot of hype about robots for some years now, whether in trade journals or at fairs.

Most of them are classic six-axis articulated robots that are looking for their way out of a production environment and into logistics.

The main driver here is the labour shortage, the big challenge not a technical component like the robot or the gripper, but the design of an overall economic process.

Since robots can only handle a portion of the items in each assortment, there are parallel streams of goods and thus possible risks with regard to the flow of goods, inventories, synchronisation and consolidation.

The robot picks up unknown products from bulk material and places them in the target container – 300-500 parts/h depending on the gripping object

The “autopick” picking robot from psb intralogistics GmbH in Pirmasens (Germany) meets this challenge.

At its core, the fully automated solution for picking individual items consists of a robot with gripper, the IT network for the entire system and a powerful image processing system – equipped with two Ensenso 3D cameras from IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH.

The vision system acts as the eye of the robot. It detects grippable surfaces on the objects to be processed in the source container and calculates grasping points and collision-free paths for the robot.

This enables the robot to pick up unknown products directly from bulk material and place them in the target bin in the area with the lowest filling. Vacuum cups ensure gentle gripping of the respective objects. A previous “teach-in” of the individual products is not necessary.

Regardless of whether it’s a medicine bottle or a tea pack, the multifunctional gripper can be individually designed for a wide variety of articles with the most diverse packaging units.

The system learns over time which of the different grasps works best for each item.

The achievable picking performance for a process-safe system is highly dependent on the characteristics of the gripping objects and ranges between 300 and 500 parts per hour.

Two Ensenso N35 3D cameras provide the system with the necessary image data. All Ensenso 3D cameras work according to the “Projected Texture Stereo Vision” method.

Each model uses two CMOS sensors and a projector that projects high-contrast structures onto the object to be captured – even in difficult lighting conditions.

Ensenso cameras operate using stereo vision, which imitates the human vision. The result is a 3D point cloud as the basis for the required spatial object information.

To integrate the cameras into autopick, psb intralogistics used the Ensenso SDK. In addition to wizards for easy setup and to support camera calibration of the 3D cameras, it includes the option for GPU-based image processing for even faster 3D data processing.

It also enables the output of a single 3D point cloud of all cameras used in multi-camera operation, which is required in this case, as well as the live composition of the 3D point clouds from multiple viewing directions.

The first camera is installed above the source box in order to consider the latter as a collision object in the path planning of the robot arm. Here the unknown parts are presented and the point cloud for searching the appropriate handle point is generated.

The latter is done with the help of the Mikado ARC (Adaptive Robot Control) software from isys vision.

It combines Ensenso’s 3D stereo vision camera technology with an easily configurable, adaptive robot controller. The result is a complete 3D robot vision solution for bin picking and parts handling with an autonomously operating robot, as supplied by autopick.

Instead of following predefined, taught and firmly defined paths, it orients itself independently in the workspace and reacts to every situation.

The second camera is above the target box. It searches for free storage positions. In addition, the Z-height of the box content is determined in order to be able to take this into account when determining the storage position.

It is crucial that the target box is occupied evenly and that the products are placed carefully. The latter is particularly important when picking fragile parts. The image acquisition is asynchronous to the movement of the robot in order to optimise the cycle time.

“We chose the Ensenso N35 for its compact design and high point cloud quality. For the considered field of view, the N series is ideal. The configuration of the camera can be easily and precisely adjusted to the respective product portfolio, or even adapted during the process,” explains the system manager at psb intralogistics.

Handle information and picking orders are exchanged via the interface to the warehouse management system.

Outlook

Online trade continues to have strong growth ahead of it. At the same time, the e-commerce sector is becoming increasingly tough. Innovative intralogistics technologies are therefore often necessary to remain competitive.

At the same time, hardly any economic sector is currently struggling as much with the lack of suitable young talent as logistics.

The economic benefit of picking robots is therefore so substantial that they will have a permanent place in commissioning in the medium to long term.

The underlying solutions with artificial intelligence will learn to master other challenges besides gripping – independently or also collaboratively in cooperation with humans, reliably and precisely.

Image processing with 3D cameras, among others, provides the decisive overview and the necessary safety.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket

Related stories you might also like…

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: box, camera, cameras, cloud, ensenso, gripping, image, intralogistics, object, parts, picking, point, processing, products, robot, robots, system, target, time, vision

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

Latest articles

  • Neura Robotics and HD Hyundai partner to bring humanoid robots to shipbuilding
  • Exclusive interview with Vorago Technologies: The risks of failure in home robots
  • MIT engineers design new handheld interface that gives ‘anyone the ability to train a robot’
  • Glīd launches ‘world-first’ unmanned autonomous road-to-rail dual mobility platform
  • A robot renaissance with a human focus: Hexagon’s 2035 vision for intelligent autonomy
  • Automotive testing UTAC embarks on global expansion and upgrade program
  • The evolving role of the human worker alongside cobots: Upskilling and new job creation
  • Enterprise Sales Courses That Help Close Bigger Deals
  • Mitsubishi Electric says its robots are ‘bridging skills gaps’ in automation technology
  • Pusan National University scientists develop ‘game-changing method’ to create safer, long-lasting lithium-ion batteries

Secondary Sidebar

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT