Increasingly complex and difficult sorting tasks in warehouses and distribution centers have led some to adopt advanced storage, retrieval and conveying systems. According to a recent report by ARC Advisory Group, palletizing robotics, autonomous forklifts, tracking systems and scanning tunnels have seen an upswing in adoption as lower system prices, increased processing capabilities and ease of deployment have made them more attractive.
In many cases, these are supported by machine vision systems, which utilize a combination of cameras, lenses and external lighting to capture a picture of an object or scene. “Once acquired, the system processes the object image using specialized vision algorithms developed to analyze edges, shapes and other specific characteristics,” says ARC.