It has been determined that manning is the largest cost component in Naval Operations. As a result, the Navy has mandated that crew size on future ship be reduced dramatically. Agile Systems Inc.believes an important opportunity exists across all classes of naval ships to employ employ advanced automation technology to replace sailors in what is perhaps the Navy's single most manpower-intensive process- the delivery of weapons and cargo from pierside warehouses, through a series of supply ships, to the point of use on a surface combatant.No automation system presently exists that meets Navy requirements. the program outlines herein addresses that problem, focussing on the development of a unique robotic pallet and container handling system with the load capacity, speed, and inventory managemant capabilities required to deliver both palletized and containerized cargo and weapons automatically, on demand, within the holds and on the decks of naval vessels. In Phase I, a design concept and specifications for the robotic handling system will be established. In Phase II, a small-scale prototype will be engineered, manufactured, and tested on the Navy's ship dynamics simulator. In Phase III full-scale versions of this system will be implemented for both Navy and industrial applications.
Keywords: Naval Cargo, Robot, Inventory Management, Warehousing, Material Handling, Ship's Hold, Ship's Maga
