A Mobile Mechatronic Platform Architecture for Flexible Materials Handling

Mass production of customised products requires materials handling platform architectures to be flexible enough to accommodate varying geometries, masses and volumes of materials. Multi-agent control and coordination structures are under development to provide flexible and scalable transportation systems. In this paper the concept of Mechatronics has been used to develop a Flexible Materials Handling mobile platform architecture, suited to operation in both singular mobile platform and multiple cooperating mobile platform contexts. Materials handling was provided by the cooperation of multiple differential drive platforms fitted with servo operated and articulated conveyors.