What is the project
This project develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and collaborative robotics solutions to support stock replenishment and goods handling in new retail formats. It is aimed at retail and logistics operations that need safer, more efficient movement, storage, and supply of pallets and automated handling of incoming goods.
Project at a glance
Focus: Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and an automated depalletising/palletising cell for retail and warehouse operations
Key demonstrators: 3 autonomous stackers/forklifts (conventional AMR, compact AMR, AMR stacker); 1 automated depalletising and palletising cell for fresh products
Operation: Autonomous movement, storage, and replenishment of pallets; autonomous robotic depalletising, separation, and handling of received goods using computer vision and trained algorithms
Primary pilot locations: Continente Gaia Shopping
Objectives
- Develop collaborative robotics solutions to support stock replenishment for new retail concepts.
- Integrate conventional and compact AMRs into store operational processes and flows.
- Validate AMR stacker functionality against technical and safety requirements.
- Develop an autonomous robotic depalletising and separation system for warehouse goods intake.
- Validate designs suitable for pilot-scale production with low variability and stable signal quality.
- Train algorithms for identification, classification, and manipulation of product boxes, including fresh categories.
What we delivered
Developed three autonomous stackers/forklifts (autonomous mobile robots, AMRs) intended for pallet movement, storage, and replenishment, alongside efforts to reconfigure store operational processes and flows to support integration of the conventional and compact AMRs; conducted additional controlled-environment tests on the AMR stacker to validate functionality against established technical and safety requirements; completed development and training of algorithms for identification, classification, and manipulation of product boxes for a fully autonomous depalletising and separation system, with preliminary validation trials showing satisfactory performance for all categories.
Metrics / KPIs
Jobs created (related with PRR)
Value: 11
% Female workers
Value: 29,41%
Notes: 5 women out of 17 employees
Product categories developed
Value: 2
Notes: “Line of autonomous mobile robots” and “line of autonomous stackers/forklifts.”
Publications
Value: 3
Patents submitted
Value: 2
Notes: “Autonomous robotic system, self tracking system and its operation method.”
Training activities / trainees
Value: 3
Notes: 2 internships in Navigation and Control; 1 internship in Operational Management.
Events attended
Value: 3
Notes: EMAF, Expo360, ExpoMetal.
Summary
This project develops autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and an automated depalletising/palletising cell to support retail and warehouse operations. Deliverables include three autonomous stackers/forklifts for pallet movement, storage, and replenishment, plus integration work for store operational flows and controlled testing against technical and safety requirements. Algorithm development also supports autonomous depalletising, with early validation results for all categories.
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