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Kion and Siemens together in a parallel universe
Kion will be the first company in Europe to use Siemens' new simulation software " Digital Twin Composer " , thereby also seeking a degree of independence from the US market, where NVIDIA has so far been the dominant solution for merging the digital and real worlds in smart warehouses.
Columbus's "egg"
Now Linde MH also offers an expanded series with an integrated lithium-ion battery: The major advantage, according to the manufacturer, is the increased space in the driver's cab, which is up to 35 percent above the industry average, and the fact that the footwell has grown significantly with the elimination of the traditional battery compartment.
“Best of Intralogistics” in the test camp
As part of the Test Camp Intralogistics and the International Forklift of the Year (IFOY) competition, the preliminary certificates for 2026 were presented today in Dortmund by Jan Drömer, Chairman of the VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Section, to the 17 nominees who will now go into the final round.
SVTL meets in a historic setting
The general assembly of the Swiss Association for Temperature-Controlled Logistics will take place on May 8th Lenzburg Castle and , in addition to the usual agenda items, personnel management, modern advertising for skilled workers on social media and the question of whether humanoid robots will one day be helpful .
MAGA in the approach path
German technology remains highly regarded when it comes to rapid material handling, the elimination of weaknesses, and service quality. Following successful projects in Oklahoma and Texas, the steel trader " Steel and Pipe Supply " (SPS) in Kansas City once again relied on Kasto saws and storage systems.
Rent warehouse equipment instead of buying it
Bito is launching an offensive with an economical alternative for companies that want to re-equip, expand, or temporarily supplement their warehouse and production areas, but don't want to tie up their capital long-term: renting instead of buying is the motto. The advantages – especially in " dynamic times " – are obvious.
«Kanpai» with sake on the pharmaceutical chain
Logistics provider Yusen is presenting an expanded global platform for the healthcare sector at LogiPharma in Vienna, where companies such as Novartis, Bayer, Takeda, and hospital supplier UCB are currently participating. The platform focuses on the professional delivery of specialized healthcare solutions.
Streamlined logistics
Coop's own rail connection for urban logistics in Zurich, streamlined logistics vehicles and the outsourcing of all operating room logistics in a cooperation between the Seeschau Clinic and the Swiss Post are the projects that are entering the final sprint for this year's Swiss Logistics Award from GS1.
Vacuum technology makes mobility possible
Compressed air has traditionally been used primarily for fixed installations. Schmalz's vacuum grippers also mainly operate with lines that often have to run across halls and facilities. However, mobile robotics increasingly requires flexible solutions – a need that Schmalz now intends to address more effectively.
A foray into drive technology
Safelog, the specialists for software for controlling intralogistics processes, have entered into a cooperation with the drive experts from SEW Eurodrive at LogiMAT in order to jointly develop a high-performance software for controlling mobile and stationary processes in intralogistics.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Light at the end of the tunnel
Ideal for outdoor use. Possibly also for situations where "chaotic storage" has been taken too literally: A new rover for exploration tours on Mars and the Moon can even drive upside down and survives falls from a height of 1.5 meters . A test field has now been put into operation in Bavaria.
What at first glance looks like a Japanese rock garden is actually a scientific facility. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has established an outdoor test field for planetary rovers in Oberpfaffenhofen, Bavaria. The site features a "volcanic crater" surrounded by fields of gravel, large and small boulders, and a steep slope with varying terrain. These features mimic the volcanic and cave landscapes of Mars and the Moon. Researchers from the DLR Institute of System Dynamics and Control have now put the new 630-square-meter test field into operation. The exploration robot "Scout" is being prepared here for future missions.
Vast, kilometer-long lava tubes are suspected to exist on the Moon and Mars, formed billions of years ago by volcanic activity. These tunnel and cave systems, especially on Mars, are of great scientific importance, as they could contain traces of past or even present life. have so far been inaccessible to conventional rovers. Scientists at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) aim to explore these lava tubes using the Scout rover.
Photos: DLR
Mount Etna in Italy served as the terrestrial model for the planetary test field. The Moon and Etna exhibit similarly extreme conditions. For the construction in Oberpfaffenhofen, the Scout team used data from a survey of Mount Etna. They identified frequently occurring obstacle types and took into account the properties of the materials, such as density and surface area. They specifically adapted the gradients to the real challenges found in lava tubes.
“Our test field features slopes with acute angles of more than 30 degrees, loose rock, deep sand, and additional obstacles. This goes far beyond the requirements of previous rovers,” explains project manager Roy Lichtenheldt from the DLR Institute of System Dynamics and Control. In his free time, he explores and surveys unknown alpine caves. “This allows me to uniquely combine my expertise in cave exploration and robotics,” the scientist adds.
The scout rover commenced off-road operations with initial test drives for the Helmholtz-funded ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies) project, coordinated by the DLR's Robotics and Mechatronics Center. This project aims to develop heterogeneous, autonomous, networked robotic systems to create a foundation for addressing societal challenges. A demonstration of these space-based technologies is planned for 2022 on Mount Etna.
The DLR rover is one meter long, half a meter wide, and consists of three deformable back sections. Like a millipede, it crawls up steep slopes, overcomes boulders, and digs its way through gravel or sandy terrain with its six flexible spoked wheels. It has only one motor per wheel.
www.dlr.de
