Picking Robot Retail Fulfillment for Secure Unmanned Sales
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Solution Overview
Problem
The retail industry faces challenges in securing manpower for late-night and early-morning hours due to low birth rates and aging populations, leading to high operational costs and reduced sales during these times. Additionally, existing unmanned store systems pose security and crime prevention risks by allowing customers to enter the store.
Innovation Solution
A product sales system that enables unmanned operation outside manned opening hours by using a picking robot to select and convey products from a display shelf to a designated delivery place within the store, allowing customers to retrieve their purchases without entering the store.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the store operates in an unmanned manner allowing customers to enter, then sales can be conducted outside manned opening hours, but security and crime prevention risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The customer entry function is extracted from the unmanned store system. Instead of allowing customers to enter the store, the system enables them to order products through information terminals while remaining outside. The picking robot performs product selection and delivery within the store, separating the customer's ordering function from the physical entry requirement, thereby maintaining security while enabling unmanned sales.
Solution Approach 2:
The picking robot acts as an intermediary between the customer's order and the product delivery. It receives ordering information from the information terminal, autonomously navigates to the product location on the display shelf, picks the ordered items, and delivers them to the designated delivery place. This intermediary mechanism enables unmanned operation without requiring customer entry, resolving the security risk while maintaining sales capability.
2Ease of operation
If manual operation is used during manned hours, then customer service quality is maintained, but operational costs increase due to manpower requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service through the picking robot that autonomously performs product selection and delivery based on order information from customers. The robot independently navigates the store, identifies products using image recognition, picks items, and delivers them without human intervention during unmanned hours, eliminating manpower costs while maintaining operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical operation of store staff is replaced with an automated robotic system. The picking robot uses sensors, image recognition technology, and automated picking mechanisms to perform tasks that previously required human employees, thereby reducing manpower costs while maintaining service functionality during unmanned hours.
3Quantity of substance
If the store shortens opening hours to reduce costs, then manpower costs decrease, but sales opportunities are lost
Solution Approach 1:
Customers place their orders in advance through information terminals before the manned closing hours. The system processes these orders using the picking robot during what would traditionally be closed hours, delivering products to the designated places. This preliminary ordering action enables the store to maintain sales opportunities during non-operational hours without requiring additional manpower.
Solution Approach 2:
The store operates in periodic cycles with manned hours for customer service and replenishment, followed by unmanned hours where the picking robot handles order fulfillment. This periodic operation pattern allows the store to reduce manpower costs during off-peak hours while maintaining continuous sales capability through automated robot operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system allows for unmanned sales operations outside traditional opening hours, reducing security risks and operational costs while maintaining sales opportunities, even when customers cannot enter the store.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor having an image-capturing function, the sensor being installed near the tip end portion of the arm, detects one or more objects by image processing from an image of a display level of the display shelf on which the product related to the order is displayed
Data Source
AI summary
A store server and a picking robot are included. The store server includes an order reception unit that receives an order for a product from a customer terminal, and a picking processing unit that instructs the picking robot to pick a product related to the order from a display shelf and convey the product to a delivery locker. The picking robot includes an arm, a picking means installed at a tip end portion of the arm, and a sensor installed near the tip end portion of the arm, detects an object by image processing from an image of a display level on which the product is displayed, the image being photographed by the sensor, identifies which object the product is by image recognition processing based on a recognition model set for each product regarding each object, and moves the picking means to a position where the product can be picked.