Honeywell recently announced a strategic partnership with Carnegie Mellon University to advance artificial intelligence and robotic technologies. The primary applications will include supporting distribution centers as they manage the increased demands fueled by e-commerce growth.
According to research by eMarketer, U.S. e-commerce sales are projected to grow by 16 percent this year – exceeding $526 billion. The researcher also expects e-commerce to account for more than 12 percent of U.S. retail sales by 2020.
More specifically, the initiative will team Honeywell Intelligrated with Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotics Engineering Center. The plan is to combine the robotic technology from Carnegie Mellon with Honeywell Intelligrated’s logistics and industrial robotics experience.
The collaboration will focus on developing a next-generation architecture for the control and operation of multiple robotic applications. Thisdevelopment activity will demand a platform capable of utilizing machine learning with critical decision-making capabilities, intelligent motion, collision avoidance, and reliable sensing for use in less repetitious or predictable environments.
Ideally, the work will produce a solution capable of continuous learning and performance improvements that can adapt to changing conditions. Potential applications could include the automating of warehousing tasks like unloading shipping containers and picking individual e-commerce orders.
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