ROBOTEAM

Development of a heterogeneous team of robots consisting of UGVs and UAVs capable of conducting fully unattended inventory using on-board RFID sensors.

Project as a Public-Private Partnership convened in 2021 for the State Research Agency and funded by the European Union within the Next Generation EU recovery plan.

ROBOTEAM has worked with the group formed by Keonn, as coordinator, Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Advanced Center for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC).

With a duration of 36 months from July 2022 to June 2025, the project has faced two main challenges during its course:

Development of a quadcopter drone capable of autonomously navigating through a warehouse with relatively narrow aisles and no GPS coverage, following a route that maximizes inventory reliability and efficiency.

This UAV navigation method was one of the main innovations contributed by CATEC. It was developed by implementing navigation systems with visual odometry modules, 3D cameras, laser sensors, etc., which allowed flights to be carried out without the need to pre-generate virtual maps to locate the aircraft within the environment.

Development of the necessary cooperation mechanisms to form a team of robots between UGVs and UAVs. This team was developed with the goal of inventorying a warehouse with maximum reliability and efficiency, without leaving any areas behind, and with minimal overlap between the different robots.

To this end, a stigmergy algorithm was implemented for coordinated navigation between ground robots and drones, which represented one of the main contributions of Keonn and UPF, as well as coordination between the heterogeneous UGVs themselves. Furthermore, for the inventory process, an RFID counting system was developed to record items stored in a standard warehouse, in different configurations.

Thus, during the course of ROBOTEAM, six more specific technical objectives were defined, which were satisfactorily completed and validated at the end of the project through testing in a representative environment.

Extension of the stigmergy-based navigation mechanism from a 2D to a 3D scenario, which allowed the development of a cooperation mechanism for cooperation between UGVs and UAVs in warehouse inventory using RFID sensors.
Development of a UAV platform capable of autonomously navigating within a warehouse, without a GPS signal, without colliding, without the need for any fixed positioning infrastructure, and without depending on a UAV.
Development of a stigmergic navigation and cooperation algorithm based on the extension of the navigation mechanism already developed for UGVs and UAVs, and its implementation with different hardware components.
Development of a simulation environment in which different test environments for the navigation of different UGV and UAV models could be designed and simulated simultaneously.
Execution of tests on a controlled test bed with characteristics similar to a commercial warehouse.
Specification of a set of test scenarios. These included a 3D model for formal validation and the resulting prototype in a more realistic environment in terms of dimensions, geometry, and object density.

With a total budget of €1,015,441.81, over the course of three years, ROBOTEAM has represented a key step in the innovation of autonomous navigation, cooperation between heterogeneous robot teams, and advanced and efficient recognition and logistics techniques. The project’s impact has been based on contributing to the development of RFID technology and innovating through solutions with real-world use and benefits for Industry 4.0. Above all, it should be noted that the focus on productivity in the retail sector provides significant added value for large chains, retailers, and companies that require integrated, fully unattended inventory management solutions, regardless of the height of the items being inventoried.