Seegrid, maker of vision guided vehicles, was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal. Steve Rosenbush, authored the feature titled, “Seegrid Calculates a New Route for Autonomous Vehicles.” According to Rosenbush, “Many of the autonomous vehicles that are expected to come to market by 2020 tackle the problem of perception by using laser sensors or high-definition cameras to absorb data about their environment. Seegrid takes a different approach. Five pairs of low-end cameras maintain a 360-degree view of the vehicle’s environment. The data is plotted on a three-dimensional grid. Proprietary algorithms determine the probability that an object is in the space represented by each cell of the grid and assess what that object is likely to be.”
The idea of using pairs of cameras is modeled on the way people see. Each camera in a single pair views an object from a slightly different perspective, and an algorithm analyzes the differential to assess the likely distance between the object and the vehicle. Laser sensor-based systems for autonomous vehicles are coming to market faster, but Seegrid’s approach of using “stereo” vision to plot data in a 3-D graph will produce a more cost-efficient and ultimately more powerful solution.
The Seegrid system can cope with uncertainty by analyzing the probability that something will stand in its way, which is the way that people reason, according to Sid Wiesner, Seegrid’s vice president of engineering. Other kinds of sensors, such as lasers, produce a binary answer about whether an object is in the way of a vehicle, he says.
Customers include Whirlpool Corp., which uses 54 Seegrid-outfitted vehicles to move goods across its massive washing-machine manufacturing plant in Clyde, Ohio. A human driver teaches a Seegrid vehicle how to navigate a route by guiding it through one trip. Seegrid maps the route, and can function independently afterwards, improving its knowledge with successive trips.
To read the entire article, go to: http://on.wsj.com/1XHqbaJ
About Seegrid
Seegrid (www.seegrid.com), the pioneer and leader in three-dimensional vision navigation, provides unique and revolutionary automation technology for materials handling. Engineered with state-of-the-art Seegrid Vision, industrial trucks are transformed into the next generation of AGVs: vision guided vehicles (VGVs). VGVs navigate without wires, lasers, magnets, or tape, and deliver unmatched flexibility. Designed for simplicity and reliability, the Seegrid flexible automation solution is offered in a line of pallet trucks and tow tractors.
Experience the maximum benefits of VGVs with Seegrid Supervisor to manage, monitor, and control a fleet of vehicles in context of your operation. Generating economic advantages and operational efficiencies, VGVs optimize workflow processes, increase productivity and throughput, labor optimization and operating costs. An award-winning organization, Seegrid is experiencing significant growth both in employees and clients. Multi-billion dollar organizations focused on lean manufacturing best-practices are turning to the Pittsburgh-based robotics leader. From large automotive operations to retail distribution centers, Seegrid VGVs are advancing the reality of a Fork Truck Free approach. VGVs improve workplace safety, reduce equipment and product damage, and deliver a rapid return on investment. Robotics Business Review recently named Seegrid a Top 50 company based on innovation, ground breaking application, commercial success, and commercial potential.
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Company Name: Seegrid Corporation
Contact Person: Amanda Merrell
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Phone: (412) 621-4305
Address:216 RIDC Park West Drive
City: Pittsburgh
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Website: www.seegrid.com