In front of customers and journalists, Linde demonstrated its first autonomous driving forklift. The Linde E-Matic has a capacity of 2.3 tonnes and has been specially developed for use in outdoor areas. Initially, deployment will be limited to horizontal transport of goods, but the Aschaffenburg-based forklift manufacturer is working on more complex applications.
Varying weather conditions and uneven terrain make the deployment of autonomous vehicles in outdoor areas challenging. That challenge is heightened when the outdoor area is also the site of other traffic such as trucks. With the development of the E-Matic, Linde has taken a first step towards automating forklift traffic in outdoor areas. In front of customers and the trade press, the forklift manufacturer gave a first demonstration in its home port of Aschaffenburg.
Autonomous loading and unloading
The Linde E-Matic can use various navigation techniques, including 3D-SLAM. In this, the truck uses sensors to determine its position based on a digital three-dimensional map of its surroundings. In the field, GPS can also be used for navigation. Complemented by a network of ground stations that correct the GPS signal in real time, it can determine position with an accuracy of 4 centimetres.
Initially, the Linde E-Matic is only suitable for horizontal transport between two fixed locations on the ground or a roller conveyor. Behind the scenes, hard work is being done on other applications, such as using attachments or storing goods in block stacking. Eventually, the truck should even be able to load and unload trailers completely autonomously from the side.
Large temperature differences
Naturally, the forklift is equipped with the necessary safety sensors. As mentioned during the introduction, Linde applies the same safety standards for both indoor and outdoor areas. A specific point of focus is the use of pneumatic tyres, which allow the truck to overcome uneven terrain. As the pneumatic tyres are pressed down more or less depending on the load, additional provisions are needed to position the forks at the right height.
In principle, it is possible to use the Linde E-Matic both indoors and outdoors. Only when there are large temperature differences, there is a risk of the scanners fogging up. To measure the impact of varying weather conditions on performance, the forklift will be extensively tested in the coming months. Linde expects a select group of customers to be able to test the new innovation in practice early next year.
Adjust travel paths yourself
At the same event in Aschaffenburg, Linde also demonstrated how users can customise the deployment of autonomous driving trucks themselves. To do so, Linde's Matic:move software first allows them to call up a visual representation of driving paths and drop-off locations. Then they can remove, move or add a drop-off location with a few mouse clicks. Almost as easily, they can draw in paths between different drop-off locations. Different colours alert the user if a turn is too sharp.
According to Linde, this approach makes it possible to run autonomous trucks without programming. That means the implementation time decreases from several weeks to a few days. Autonomous vehicles from other brands can also be controlled via the Linde software thanks to the standard communication interface for mobile robots (VDA 5050).
