Development of an Autonomous Robot System Towing the Medecine Container

We have developed an autonomous robot carrying a heavy medicine container, to be used in the medicine factory. In this environment, its workspace is narrow and the robot has to negotiate between existing machines and instruments. It is also necessary for the robot to comply with strict GMP standards defined by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan for medicine production. The robot tows an empty container to the throw-in platform according to the instruction given by the process controller system via infrared communication. Once loaded, the container is again towed by the robot and stored at a designated position in the stowage area. The robot runs on magnetic rails autonomously and is able to tow a container weighing 200[kg], or heavier, and precisely position the container at the specified location with less than 10[mm] of error. The container is rigidly held by a specifically designed gripper on the robot during transportation to maintain precise motion and positioning of the container. Three robots have worked in a medicine factory for more than two years without causing a single interruption in the manufacturing process, achieving improved production efficiency, lowered production costs, with fewer workers attending the production line than before.