This document discusses the development of Helena, an intelligent warehouse management system that uses AI to optimize truck loading efficiency. It analyzes strategies like the Towers of Hanoi puzzle and chess to inform its design. The system focuses on separating warehouse concerns into grid, stack, and box levels to help the cranes efficiently load trucks. It also includes a new UI and accident simulator to take advantage of its adaptive AI capabilities. The goal is to increase warehouse throughput and value.
2. A never-ending story:
efficiency competition
uptime is nice, but how
about in-action efficiency?
if any specific problem
area can be isolated from
the whole picture, it’s
easier to focus on
maximising the efficiency
on solving a specific
problem subset
3. Focus: logistics efficiency
more precisely: how to
prepare for efficient
truck loading, to
increase the throughput
(and thus, the value) of a
warehouse - using
Konecranes’ cranes
4. The idea: Hanoi’s Towers
Roadblock: Hanoi is 2D, OTOH warehouses
are 3D by design, because of stacks in grid
Image copyright CC/WikiPedia
5. Ramp up: more strategy!
Solution(?): a look at chess strategies
Image copyright Franz Steiner / CGSociety.org
6. The design of Helena
focus on Separation of
Concerns in Warehouse
Grid -> Stack -> Box
Crane
Helena-AI
a new UI to take
advantage of AI
Image copyright Franz Steiner / CGSociety.org
7. Image copyright StoneCrew
Truck loading area
AI engine output
Factory feed row
Step-by-step buttons
Accident
simulator
button
8. Vision: adaptive systems
several possibilities exist
genetic programming (GA)
hybrid/expert systems
Fuzzy systems
ref. WarGames
Image copyright United Artists