What is it about?

The KION Group and its cooperating partners LeddarTech, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the STARS Lab at the University of Toronto have started research project “ARIBIC”. The acronym stands for “Artificial Intelligence-Based Indoor Cartography”: continuous data evaluation shall make it possible to create a real-time digital twin of a warehouse or a production environment. This is a further step in order to enhance already existing digital twin solutions as well as simulation and emulation platforms of KION Group.

Our cooperating partners

IFL

The Department of Robotics and Interactive Systems of the Institute of Materials Handling and Logistics Systems (IFL) headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Kai Furmans at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) researches future-oriented robotics solutions with direct or indirect benefits for its users. The field of research includes topics such as mapping and localization of mobile robots, computer vision, automated grasping and placing of various articles, and the development of intuitive human-machine interaction. With 11 research associates working in robotics and many national and international innovations, IFL has made its name in the robotics sector for logistic applications.

Within the ARIBIC Project the IFL focusses on the detection of intralogistics elements in 3D sensor data, as well as the merging of maps in multi-robot scenarios.

STARS

The Space & Terrestrial Autonomous Robotic Systems (STARS) Laboratory at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), headed by Prof. Jonathan Kelly, aims to develop robotic systems that are pervasive, persistent, and perceptive. Our focus is on the study of fundamental problems related to perception, representation, and understanding of the world. STARS has 14 graduate students who are currently working on projects related to computer vision, planning, robotic manipulation, and calibration, among others.  UTIAS has a long history of innovation in robotics for a wide range of real-world applications.

As part of the ARIBIC project, the STARS Laboratory will develop methods to extract detailed semantic information from large 3D maps of warehouses, to keep an up-to-date digital representation of the contents.

STILL

STILL supplies customized internal logistics solutions and implements the intelligent management of material handling equipment, software and services worldwide. With over 8000 employees, a headquarter in Hamburg, Germany, four production facilities, 14 branches in Germany and 20 international subsidiaries as well as a global dealer network, STILL is a successful international player. Today and in the future, STILL fulfills the requirements of small, medium-sized and large companies with highest quality, reliability and innovative technology for internal logistics products.

LeddarTech

A leader in environmental sensing platforms for autonomous vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems and founded in 2007, LeddarTech has evolved to become a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company by enabling customers to solve critical sensing and perception challenges across the entire value chain of the automotive and mobility market segments. LeddarTech enables Tier 1-2 automotive system integrators to develop full-stack sensing solutions for autonomy level 1 to 5 enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities.

Funded by