Robotics Enabling Fully‐Integrated Logistics Lines for Supermarkets — REFILLS (Project ID: 731590)
While online grocery stores are expanding, supermarkets continue to provide customers with the sensory experience of choosing goods while walking between display shelves. Retail and logistics companies are committed towards a shopping experience more comfortable and exciting while, at the same time, using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. The H2020 REFILLS Research and Innovation Action (1/1/2017—30/6/2020) will improve logistics in a supermarket thanks to mobile robotic systems in close and smart collaboration with humans, addressing the main in-store logistics processes for retail shops: in particular, robots will allow a smarter shelf refilling. Information on the supermarket articles is exploited to create powerful knowledge bases, used by the robots to identify shelves, recognize missing or misplaced articles, handle them and navigate the shop. Reasoning allows robots to cope with changing task requirements and contexts, and perception-guided reactive control makes them robust to execution errors and uncertainty. A modular approach is adopted for the design of cost-efficient robotic units. A final demonstration will take place at a real retail store. In sum, REFILLS is committed to generating wide impact in the retail market domain and beyond through the development of efficient logistics solutions for professional use.
Media Center