In this paper, closed-form travel-time expressions for flow-rack automated storage and retrieval systems are developed. The expressions, which are based on a continuous approach, are compared for accuracy, via simulation, with exact models which are based on a discrete approach.There is no significant difference between the results obtained from the continuous-approach-based closed-form expressions and the ones from the discrete-approach-based exact solutions. The closed-form expressions are easy to calculate due to their simplistic forms, even without a computer, while the exact solutions are extremely complex. On the basis of computation time, the proposed closed-form expressions are extremely practical when compared with the discrete-approach-based expressions, which require extensive computation time.The closed-form travel-time expressions developed in this study can be used to (1) establish performance standards for existing AS/RS, (2) evaluate throughput performance for flow-rack AS/RS alternative design configurations, and (3) compare different storage techniques for improved system performance. Due to their simplistic, yet accurate, definitions, the closed-form expressions, as well as the results of this study, are applicable to industry.Keywords Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) · Flow-Rack AS/RS · Inventory management Notations b:shape factor T :normalization factor E(SC): single-cycle expected travel time

In this paper, a simulation-based performance evaluation of shuttle-based storage and retrieval system (SBS/RS) is presented. In comparison with well-known automated storage and retrieval systems, SBS/RSs can substantially increase the throughput capacity of the system. The objective of this study is to exploit the benefits of SBS/RS system design for reducing the mean cycle time of transactions and consequently increasing the throughput capacity of the system. Performance comparison of the studied SBS/RS is contrasted with alternative storage rack configurations, velocity profiles of the shuttle carriers and velocity profiles of the elevators' lifting tables in the system. The results show that SBS/RSs are effective in reducing the mean cycle time and also show large improvement by increasing throughput capacity.

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The utilization of stereo cameras in robotic applications is presented in this paper. The use of a stereo depth sensor is a principal step in robotics applications, since it is the first step in sequences of robotic actions where the intent is to detect and extract windows and obstacles that are not meant to be painted from the surrounding wall. A RealSense D435 stereo camera was used for surface recording via a real-time, appearance-based (RTAB) mapping procedure, as well as to navigate the painting robot. Later, wall detection and the obstacle avoidance processes were performed using statistical filtering and a random sample consensus model (RANSAC) algorithm.