The development of a cellular automatic warehouse

Abstract

This paper proposes a new cellular-type machine to solve problems the present mechatronics machines have through their life cycle. It consists of homogeneous cells with modularity and autonomy, and employs a local communication mechanism. Each cell autonomously behaves based on local information accumulated through local communication. It can logically reconfigure itself, even when some cells are faulty. It can also be physically reconfigured by adding or removing some cells. Each cell periodically evaluates its local environment and its own action history, and selects its appropriate function. This leads to self-organization. It also has an advantage that no central software is needed to control the entire system. We designed and built a "cellular automatic warehouse" as an example, which demonstrated the advantages of the cellular machine.