Project description

In the previous E|Flow project, energy-efficient, versatile and autonomous transport vehicles for internal material flow were researched and developed. The research results were directly incorporated into the AutoBod development project at the industrial project partner.

Based on the work of E|Flow, the project E|Flow II focuses not only on the development of a vehicle-based state machine and an order allocation mechanism but also on the development of control strategies for the implementation of autonomous swarm behaviour of a large robot fleet. The central control approaches are compared with the decentralized control logic. Decentralized communication and order negotiation between the individual transport entities extends the functional use of autonomous transport robots from predefined point-to-point deliveries to a self-regulating material flow system that reacts to external influences.

The E|Flow II project aims to develop innovative cooperative, self-controlling autonomous robot fleets for internal material supply. Such fleets of transport vehicles will significantly increase the energy efficiency of future production systems. Energy-efficient production represents a decisive competitive advantage for the future. On the one hand in order to be able to produce cost-efficiently and thus sustainably competitively, and on the other hand in order to be perceived on the market as an innovative and resource-conserving company in the long term.