Examining the challenges of mobile robots to perform collaborative transports considering industry experts in-sights and hardware experiments

Abstract

Collaborative transportation using a group of mobile robots enables companies to increase the utilization of their fleets and to transport larger loads without additional investments. The expert interviews conducted with industry representatives suggest that there is a need for research in this direction. However, challenges remain, especially in the necessary communication and control. The investigations of the driving characteristics of mobile robots with the help of a high-precision tracking system also reveal that significant deviations from the predefined trajectories can be observed due to the hardware of the vehicles. These results demonstrate the future need for re-search with regard to the control strategies of the networks and the motor control.