How does a humanoid robot unload a truck of roll containers with no ramp, using only the tail lift? We have planned exactly this sequence for a deployment at a laundry and built it as a simulation. The video shows step by step how it is meant to run.
The robot lowers the tail lift at the control box with both hands and keeps the area behind the truck in view while it does so. If a ball rolls in or someone walks through, the platform stops at once. Then it flips up the roll-off guard, steps onto the foot switches and goes up with a double tap. Inside the truck it pulls the containers out with both hands, turns them as it walks backwards and pushes them against the guard. It keeps the space at the foot switches clear, because that is where it stands itself.
At the bottom it pulls the container back briefly so that the guard folds down, then pushes it into the hall at an angle. It stands at the rear corner and looks past the side, so it can see the path even with a fully loaded container. If someone walks across, it stops and waits. In the hall it parks the containers one at a time, one after the other.
Why an animation and not a film? Because we check every step on the computer before a real robot stands at the customer's site. Testing is done in NVIDIA Isaac. There, 2048 robots run through the same sequence at the tail lift at the same time, and we see immediately where something sticks. All 3D animations are based on calculated sizes and dimensions.
If you have similar sequences at your site, whether roll containers, laundry carts or mesh cages, feel free to get in touch.