KLM Cargo explores future automation.

Can robotics and vision AI make air cargo operations smarter, safer and less physically demanding? To explore this, we collaborated with KLM, Fizyr and Viroteq to develop a Proof of Concept for the mixed depalletizing and palletizing of air cargo pallets.

PMC aircraft pallets carry many different types of cargo, which vary constantly in terms of dimensions, packaging, shape, position and stacking patterns. This makes the use of robots to break down and build up these pallets a complex task. Since no information is provided about the contents of the PMC pallets, the system needs to operate in a human‑like manner by detecting packages and skids in real time. 

This solution does not yet exist. As part of KLM’s innovation program, a feasibility study was therefore conducted to determine whether the technology is sufficiently advanced to automate (part of) this logistics process in the future.

Yu-Ming Sie from KLM, Tibor van Melsem Kocsis from Fizyr and Dick Goudriaan from DERO GROEP explain the Proof of Concept carried out at KLM Cargo.

Within this project, KLM, Fizyr, Viroteq and DERO GROEP combined their expertise in aviation logistics, robotics, vision AI and system integration. The Proof of Concept demonstrates that mixed depalletizing and palletizing using robotics and vision AI is technically feasible and operationally valuable. Although this is currently only a feasibility study, KLM Cargo has taken an important step toward future automation in the warehouse.

// P. Mulder - Synergy Food  //