A Method for Autonomous Picking of Paper Reels

Abstract

Although aspects of this research had been presented and demonstrated the first time in 2011, the ’autonomous picking of objects’ is still one of the hottest topics in this field. This research deals with the picking and handling of very large cylindrical objects such as paper reels or oil drums that are located inside industrial and commercial yards. It presents a new method for picking them autonomously according to their position, accessible direction, and surrounding barriers. Different terminology has been added to this research field. Three new algorithms; for picking a priority, for choosing the most appropriate direction for picking the target, and for choosing the safest path to reach the target without causing damage have been developed and implemented. The algorithms were tested successfully on simulation environment implemented using MATLAB and results taken from real experiments.