Japan’s unmanned cargo-handling plan assumes a 20 cm stop tolerance
How far can automated cargo handling replace the time a worker is tied up?
In government trials, automated cargo handling reached roughly 30 minutes per truck—the same as staffed work—and required about 200 square metres, under limited conditions using major standard pallets. This is not a test of elapsed-time reduction. It tests how far the time a worker is tied up can be replaced. Yet the workflow for fully unmanned operation assumes that the truck stops within ±200 mm of its designated position, with no overhang and with cargo-position data in the truck bed shared in advance.
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Translated from Japanese by AI. The Japanese original is authoritative.
In a workflow designed for fully unmanned operation, the truck must stop within ±200 mm of its designated position. It uses standard pallets that can be forked from all four sides, and avoids cargo protruding beyond the pallet. Positions in the truck bed are also shared in advance, while people are assumed to install and retrieve the wheel chocks.…
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