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Towards design and development of autonomous mobile platforms for delivery

and collection

Conference Paper · December 2015

DOI: 10.1109/ICICS.2015.7459938

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 Towards Design and Development of Autonomous
Mobile Platforms for Delivery and Collection
Carlos Antonio Acosta Calderon, Asadollah Norouzi
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Singapore Polytechnic, 500 Dover Road,
Singapore 139651
{CarlosAcosta, asadollah_norouzi}@sp.edu.sg
Abstract—The deployment of an automated mobile platform
will help enhance the productivity of logistics tasks, such as
collection and delivery. Providing an autonomous solution for such
logistic tasks would enable staff to focus on other tasks. There are,
currently, some commercially available solutions for these logistic
tasks where an autonomous mobile platform is able to move from
one location to another within a structured environment such as in
a hospital, home, or office. In this paper, we present our approach
to develop a cost effective mobile platform to be used for logistic
tasks. The proposed approach is capable of navigating
autonomously within a designated area. This approach creates a
map of the area where then various stations will be located on the
generated map. The proposed mobile platform navigates between
the indicated stations without the need to follow special markers in
the area. This reduces the additional cost of applying physical
alterations to the area such as drawing lines on the floor or placing
laser markers which are necessary requirements for many of the
commercial solutions. In addition, the proposed solution is able to
navigate while maintaining safety for both the people moving
around and also to the items being transported.
Keywords—Mobile Platform, Transport, Logistics, autonomous
navigation.
I. INTRODUCTION
In recent years, mobile robots are making ways into new
areas and the value of robots in many areas have been
recognized. Semi or fully autonomous mobile robots that assist
humans, service equipment, and perform other autonomous
functions have applications in almost every industry [1]. Robot
markets are expected to have a dramatic growth by reaching
homes, offices, and hospitals in the near future. Mobile robots or
platforms are the first type of robots entering many of these
markets. Automated mobile platforms are service robots that are
able to move between designated locations, and this ability can
be beneficial in several industries to automate the processes of
delivery and collection. Mobile platforms for general use is a
strongly growing sector in the service robotics as presented in the
2014 annual report of the International Federation of Robotics
(see Figure 1). [2]. It is estimated that about 16,000 mobile
platforms will be sold in the period 2014 to 2017 as customizable
multi-purpose platforms. In addition, logistic systems as service
robots will increase considerably to more than 10,200 units of
which about 9,200 will be automated guided vehicles.
Most of the currently deployed mobile platforms work well as
long as the environment is modified to provide artificial
landmarks to guide the mobile platform from a specific starting
point to a well-defined destination. These requirements are not
well accepted in some industries, as changing the environment
for these robots is not an appropriate solution. For example, to
lay marker lines on a floor and to maintain them in good state
involves a cost; but to lay these marker lines on carpets might not
be well accepted. Other changes that might be requested in the
environment are the placement of reflective markers that must be
visible all the time. If something obstructs the marker the robot
would not be able to find its destination. Furthermore, the cost of
the robot itself is another limitation for the inclusion of the
mobile platforms in the market. Based on the required payload
and features, the mobile robot’s cost varies from a few hundred
thousand dollars to a couple of million dollars.
In Singapore by 2030 one-fifth of the population will be aged
65 and above, and by 2050 Singapore is expected to be the fourth
oldest country in the world [3, 4]. A greying population also
means an increase in elders in the workforce, thus it is important
to also cater for the aging workforce. Therefore, it is imperative
and essential that new innovative technology and equipment are
brought in to improve the working environment of personnel and
boost productivity in the process performed by the workforce.
Automated mobile platforms are identified as a potential
market. However there are several challenges that need to be
addressed to be fully adopted by the consumers. Mainly to ensure
the safety of the people when the mobile platforms are navigating
in a human populated environment. The mobile platform must be
able to handle unprecedented circumstances. These autonomous
mobile platform systems should include user interfaces, planners,
stations, charging stations, and special designed carts.
This paper presents our approach to design an autonomous
mobile platform to help improve the working environment of
personnel and boost productivity in the process performed by the
workforce. The paper is structured as follows; next section
discusses projects and approaches explored by other researchers
and also introduces the features that we have identified for our
development. The Section 3 presents the hardware design for our
approach. Section 4 discusses the problems of power
management, recharging, and docking; and it describes in detail
Figure 1. Service robots for professional use
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Maturing of the technology developed in this automated
mobile platform would bring about future assistive applications
that can be leveraged off to serve directly in various sectors.
Potential applications based on this automated mobile platform
for delivery and collection in other sectors includes:
• Logistics of Samples in Healthcare – This project
targets the healthcare personnel as there is immediate
concern on the healthcare sector on introducing semi-
automated machine and devices to increase the
productivity.
• Automated Office Mail Delivery – For a process of
delivery mail from one department to another in an
office environment, this mobile platform could help to
ease the task of navigating from one department to
another from one desk to another to deliver documents
or post mail.
• Automated Personal Trolley – With an aging
population, there is a potential in developing personal
the proposed solution, including the experiments and results.
Finally, the last section discusses conclusions and future
perspectives of mobile platforms.
trolley for the elderly to help them in various aspects of
life such as grocery trolley and travel luggage.
• Autonomous Cleaning Machines – Essentially, the need
for autonomous cleaners will emerge to keep the
environment clean and increase productivity in the
cleaning services industry. This is also to address the
issue of manpower shortage.
• Autonomous Robotic Guards – This is a new trend in
the area of mobile robots to improve productivity of
sectors in security services.
In this paper we will focus on a mobile robot designed and
developed for Healthcare services.
Hospitals are opening their doors to these mobile robots due
to the substantial progress in robots ability to operate and interact
within environments where human is actively present. Increasing
the productivity of the hospital staff is one of the key factors
driving the growth in the number of applications for mobile
platforms in hospitals. The healthcare services heavily rely on
healthcare personnel working in healthcare facilities round the
clock. An analysis has shown that the installation of 6 robot units
reduces the annual cost by approximately 56% and improves
turn-around time performance by 33% for hospital transportation
[5].
There exists some commercial systems that are installed in
hospitals and there are also several research projects by different
research groups [6, 7, 8]. HelpMate is a robot able to transport
unscheduled meal trays, lab, pharmacy supplies or patient records
[6]. This robot uses odometry and natural landmarks, like
hallway walls, to estimate its position continuously. Doors and
elevators can be automated to communicate with the robot. A
map can be generated and installed in the robot. TUG Smart
Autonomous Mobile Robot is an autonomous mobile robot
designed to haul and transport goods, materials and clinical
supplies within the hospitals and the laboratories [7]. The robot is
easy and friendly to operate. Once the cart is loaded, it can be
sent it to a destination, or multiple destinations by entering the
command in its touch screen. TUG Robot detects obstacles using
a laser scanner and can provide free of collisions path. Aethon,
the company that created TUG, has a system including a control
system that monitors robot missions, solves failure situations,
control robot's batteries level, etc.
III. FEATURES OF A MOBILE PLATFORM
In this Section we discuss the motivation for creating an
autonomous platform for delivery and collection and how this
can be adopted in Singapore. This Section discusses the main
challenges that need to be considered when designing such
systems. An innovative approach that could be an efficient
solution for transportation is also presented.
Figure 2. The main features for the automated mobile base
to be employed in hospitals for delivery and collection
Figure 2 depicts a general picture of the features for the
automated mobile platform to be used for collection and delivery.
Let us describe the role and importance of these features in the
design and conceptualization of the system.
A. Safety and Security of the transported items
Items, samples, and packages are quite sensitive and
confidential that could not be left anywhere or allow anyone to
have access to them. Security is one of the main issues that must
be addressed to achieve an automated mobile platform that will
be transporting these items. The compartment where the items
would be placed in the automated mobile platform should have a
locking mechanism that can only be unlocked by authorized
fingerprints or secure codes. Each transaction would be registered
to keep track of the items. In addition to the security, the safety of
the items will also be a key component in the system. It is
important to ensure the condition of the items during the process
of transportation by considering the type of target items in the
design.
B. Smart Power Management
The automated mobile platform should manage its power to
maximize the battery performance, since it is expected that the
mobile platform can carry its tasks without constant charging of
batteries. The power management system will extend the
operational time of the mobile platform before it needs to be
connected to the charging station. An automated charging system
could be incorporated as part for the smart power management
system such that the user does not need to manually charge the
mobile platform.
C. Human-Centerd Technology
The technology in this project is human oriented, in which the
mobile platform is designed and implemented in accordance to
the workflow of the user. The mobile platform should provide
service to the user such that the users would not need to learn
how to operate it and more importantly would not need to change
their daily workflow routines. This is particularly useful to the
personnel as they do not want any disruptions in their daily
workflow. The user interface for entering the delivery schedule
and stations should be friendly and intuitive. In addition, each
mission should be monitored and notifications should be sent if
the system fails.
D. Cost Effective Solution
The existing mobile platforms are expensive, and the majority
of the companies providing these services are from overseas
which imposes additional higher costs for the mobile platform
maintenance. Our effort is to develop a low cost automated
mobile platform for delivery and collection of items with
navigation capabilities to move from one station to another in a
safe way for the items, as well as for the humans moving around.
The navigation of the mobile platform will rely on the on-board
sensors and computer and does not require additional costly
landmarks like lines or laser markers to move in a flexible and
effective manner.
E. Safe Navigation
The navigation from one station to another station is not a
trivial problem; the automated mobile platform should move with
a speed that ensures the safety of the transporting items. The
speed of the mobile platform should be fast enough to ensure on-
time delivery and collection schedule without being considered a
threat to the human walking nearby [1]. On top of these
constraints the automated mobile platform would have to handle
unforeseen scenarios like avoiding obstacles in the corridors, or
selecting alternative paths to reach the stations when a corridor is The top flat plate provides a place where the trolleys can be
blocked. mounted and secured (See Figure 3).

F. Scalability
The system should also be scalable in which there can be
customized solutions for different workflows by applying
modifications to the way the mobile platform serves the logistics
of collection and delivery. The mobile platform is integrated in
accordance with various workflows process requirements. The
system should address the question of how to organize the
cooperation between mobile platforms and the supervisory
system.

G. Supervisory system
Supervisory system should be able to plan, schedule and send
the mission plan to the mobile platforms. The robots and tasks
can be monitored on-line. Staff could define a task through this
system. The interface for this system could be accessed at any
place that has connection to the logistic system. Collection and
deliveries tasks can be scheduled off-line and set to specific time Figure 3. Two prototypes with different two compartments
to be executed, finally tasks could be repeated with desired or trolleys.
frequency.
The different prototypes let us explore possible avenues for
IV. PROPOSED DESIGN the project. The omni-wheel platform is versatile and able to
move in any direction with any orientation, this makes it flexible
The mobile platform has to move a payload of up to 40kg. to maneuver in tight spaces or corridors. The differential drive
Furthermore, the maneuverability of the base needs to be platform, instead, uses common wheels that have a good friction
considered to avoid collisions with objects and persons when the with surfaces that might be challenging especially with small
platform is in motion. To further study on the maneuverability slopes. However, a differential drive platform must turn to face a
we designed four different types of platforms. Each of these side before it is able to move towards that direction. In this
mobile platforms use a different motion system: two are based on research we studied and analyzed the characteristics, advantages,
differential-drive configuration, one is based on four omni- and disadvantages of these systems. The omni-wheel and the
wheels, and finally one is based on four mecanum-wheels. mecanum wheel platforms produce a small noise as every
Table 1. A comparison of the different prototypes built rotational part has contact with the floor when the wheels are
during this project, their features and findings. rotating. In addition, these types of wheels produce a vibration in
Features Omni- Mecanum Diff drive / Diff drive the platform as they rotate, this vibration is not recommended for
wheel wheel 2 motors / 4 motors transporting sensitive items or liquids. Therefore, eventually, the
Weight 9.7 9.5 7.8 9.2 differential drive with four motors proved to be an appropriate
solution for this project’s specifications.
(Kg)
Max 60 60 35 60 Covers for the mobile platform were designed to improve its
Payload appearance. In addition to aesthetic purposes the covers have
(Kg) other functionalities: to prevent any external object entering
Operating 5 5 6.5 5 inside the platform that could damage it; and to provide an
Hours (Hr) additional layer to the structure to secure the components in their
holding places. The robot on the right of Figure 3 depicts our
final prototype of the mobile platform. Different holders were
The first prototype of the mobile platform consisted of four designed to secure the components. The reason to secure the
omni-wheels. Subsequent prototype consisted of differential components is to minimize the effect of vibration when the
drive mechanisms with two and four motors. All the prototypes system is in motion. As any mechanical system, the mobile
have a similar structure, which consists of a flat top plate, wheels platform will require maintenance to ensure its correct
are concealed within the structure to avoid damage or any functioning.
possible problem. Within the structure all the sensitive
components for robot’s motion and navigation are concealed.
 V. CONTROL AND NAVIGATION
The navigation from one station to another station is not a
trivial problem; the automated mobile platform should move with
a speed that ensures the safety of the transporting items.
Nevertheless, the speed should also be enough to ensure that it
does not represent a threat to the human present in the same area
as the robot. Furthermore the speed should ensure on-time
scheduled delivery and collection. On top of these constraints the
automated mobile platform should be able to handle unforeseen
scenarios like avoiding obstacles in the corridors, or selecting
alternative paths to reach the stations when a corridor is blocked.
Figure 4. Pictures of the mobile platform during navigation
in different scenarios for mapping.
Regarding the speed of the motion of the mobile platform, we
considered the following: an experienced staff moves these
trolleys around the facility adjusting their speed to ensure that
content of the trolley is safe. In addition, staffs adjust the trolley’s
speed when approaching a busy corridor to ease their navigation
around. With these principles in mind it is possible to emulate the
motion of a trolley when it is pushing around by the staff.
Therefore, the pushing speed is then used as baseline for the
autonomous mobile platform speed.
To detect and avoid obstacles we have equipped the mobile
platform with a laser range finder that is placed at the front of the
mobile platform, covering 180 degrees. The data collected from
the laser range finder combined with odometry data of the mobile
platform are used to generate a map of the healthcare building
where the mobile platform is operating. In addition, the laser
range finder data helps the system to understand the surroundings
and to try to match that with a location in map to maintain track
of the mobile platform as it navigates.
Successful navigation relies on the map of the location. A
map can be created by the user pushing the mobile platform
along the corridors. This map can be updated as the mobile
platform is moving around. Figure 4 presents a map of our
laboratory, places of interest could be marked to indicate future
locations for delivery or collection of items. The system is able to
cope with new information not presented in the map. If there are
more than one mobile platforms, then they would be able to share
the map, and so there is not no need to generate a new map for
every mobile platform. The map is stored in the internal memory
of the system, thus as a file it is possible to transfer online and
offline.
The user interface provides only the interface for the
functionality of the system. Each functionality calls a library
function that can receive arguments. By creating the libraries the
system is flexible for a smooth integration with another system.
Our previous work on Human Machine Interaction provide us
with a good experience to leverage to develop a system that will
interact better with the user, as well as to assess when it has
failed to complete a task and request for human help [9, 10].
There are two modes of transportation for the items:
transporting items from one location to another covering multiple
locations in a defined route; and transportation of samples upon
request. Deploying an autonomous mobile platform capable of
performing tasks requested by users in a building has several
challenges to address:
• Localizing and navigating autonomously and safely
• Providing an intuitive interface for users to schedule
tasks for the robot
• Scheduling conflict-free task plans for the robot
Users can request tasks through an online web server which
will be processed by a scheduler, where it would determine the
tasks execution times. The scheduler sends these tasks to the task
planner and executor that divides tasks into autonomous actions.
Users can request a new task, view a list of their own scheduled
tasks and completed tasks, cancel scheduled tasks, and see the
current position of the mobile platform. When a user is
requesting a task in the web based system, the scheduler requires
the following inputs in order to ensure a conflict-free schedule
for the robot:
• Request Type: The type of task requested
• Location: This is an option that is specific to the type of
request. It might include the pick-up and destination
locations for the request.
• Time constraints: To provide information about the
desired time of execution for the requested task. The
user can input a specific time, or a window of time for
this task to be executed.
Each request submitted by the user is sent to the scheduler,
which may either accept or reject it. Rejecting a request is mainly
due to the time constraints, although in some cases it may be a
combination of the location and the time constraints. If the
scheduler rejects a request, it proposes alternative times when the
robot is available. The scheduler fits all the accepted requests into
a schedule that can be followed and monitored.
 The scheduler must effectively produce a schedule of tasks
for the robot to execute. In order to achieve this, it is essential to
estimate both how long each task will take and how long it will
take for the mobile platform to travel from one location to the
next. These two components of the task duration can be obtained
by:
• Navigation Time: The time that the robot spends
moving from one location to another. This is computed
from the distance planned from the map, the path
obtained for the locations and finally the robot velocity.
• Task Specific Time: The time that the actual task
requires once the robot has reached the destination, e.g.
time to unload or load the samples in the robot.
The expected task execution time is the sum of the navigation
time and the task specific time. Based on the estimated execution,
the scheduler fits all of the tasks into a schedule. The scheduler is
given a list of N requests that the robot must satisfy two
conditions:
1. A starting time that does not overlap with other requests.
2. To ensure that the request is fulfilled within the
requested time frame.
VI. CONCLUSIONS
This paper presented our work towards designing and
developing an autonomous mobile platform to help with logistic
activities in healthcare facilities. The initial design considerations
for the system, based on inputs received from hospital staff were
presented in this paper. Furthermore, several low cost prototypes
with different motion mechanism are developed to study and
optimize the maneuverability of the mobile platform. The
differential drive was selected for the final design as it would
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produce much less noise and vibration compared to other drive
mechanisms studied in this work. Training of the motion speed
and mapping of the operating environment is achieved through a
series of trials with the hospital staff without compromising their
original workflow process. The ability of map sharing reduces
the need for repeated training for each mobile platform.
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