Design and Development of an Automatic System for Unloading Items from container.
Lifting operations are inherent to many occupations in the construction industry. They can be performed manually or using lifting equipment. Both manual lifting and mechanical lifting operations can put construction workers at great risk of injury or health symptoms causing sick leave or d
2025-06-28 16:31:20 - Adil Khan
Design and Development of an Automatic System for Unloading Items from container.
Project Area of Specialization RoboticsProject SummaryLifting operations are inherent to many occupations in the construction industry. They can be performed manually or using lifting equipment. Both manual lifting and mechanical lifting operations can put construction workers at great risk of injury or health symptoms causing sick leave or disability. The costs of accidents and ill health related to lifting operations, are immense.
There are several risk factors that may increase the occurrence of injury from manual lifting. These factors are related to the different characteristics of the load, the task and organization of the work, the work environment and the worker
The load, which may be:
- Too heavy - There is no exact weight limit that is safe. A weight of 25 kg is heavy to lift for most people, especially if the load is handled several times in an hour
- Too large - if the load is large, it is not possible to follow the basic rules for lifting and carrying — to keep the load as close to the body as possible; thus, the muscles will get tired more rapidly; moreover, the shape or size may obscures the worker’s view, thus increasing the risk of slipping, tripping or falling
The task and organization of the work, if it requires:
- awkward postures or movements, e.g. a bent and/or twisted trunk, raised arms, bent wrists, over-reaching
- a high frequency or repetition with insufficient recovery periods;
- a high rate of work, which cannot be influenced by the worker
- Unstable loads or loads handled with the body in an unstable posture.
Individual characteristics, such as:
- lack of experience, training and familiarity with the job
- physical dimensions and capacity such as height, weight and strength
Moreover, manual handling of heavy loads can cause injuries if the load suddenly hits the worker or causes slipping or falling. Handling of smaller loads for a long time without rest can result in fatigue
Opportunity
The above mentioned problem can cause serious problem as mentioned so it generates an opportunity to solve this problem in a smart way. A robotic solution of this work can solve these problem so there is an opportunity to develop a comprehensive and effective robotic system.
Solution
To avoid heavy weight lifting and enhance the rate of production we are keen to make a robotic solution for loading and unloading of different items. The items of different geometry and size can be lifted through a automatic pick and place mechanism. For griping mechanism a pneumatic control is introduced in robotic system. by using negative pressure the items will be picked up with suction griper
Project ObjectivesThe main objective of this project is to convert loading and unloading system into modern sytem.
With the help of this technology Pakistan's Port system into modern sytem.
It will protect the labour from injuries and accidents.
It will increse the productivity and save the time.
With the help of this initiative we will able to learn about the modern technology.
Project Implementation MethodThe implementation of the system will include pneumatic suction griper. System consist of servo motors and Aurdino cards. Robotic Structure will be of PVC. System will consist of PVC bends, PVC Tee and other components. For gripping purpose vacuum gripper will use and for its control complete Vacuum kit will use. Kit comprise of Vacuum pump, Solenoid control valve , control unit etc. All the components will assemble in attractive form and will able to do required task. Proximity sensors will use for the precision work and for detection of object grasping.
Benefits of the ProjectAs the structure of the project is made up of PVC pipes it makes it cheap and effective project.
For griping mechanism we are using a suction griper which has the advantage that they are relatively simple, compact and light.
Inexpensive and require little maintenance.
Suction grippers are capable of firmly gripping parts in high-speed motion applications, as well as providing gentle handling of fragile parts.
Technical Details of Final DeliverableThe basic approach we are using for this project is the robotics. Servo motors are used for the actuation of the structure. Pneumatic system will operate the suction gripper.
Pneumatic system:
To make the system we use pneumatic system for the actuation process of the gripper it has the advantage that it is
Inexpensive
Clean Safe
easy to operate
Cheap Material:
Using cheap material PVC we will make this project more compact and economical as it is available in the market easily and reduce its maintenance cost and manufacturing cost
Simple Design
The design of the robotic solution is that we are going to implement is quiet simple. Using PVC bending and pipe a simple structure will be made.it does not require any fasteners or clamping mechanism for the joining of parts. The simple design will make the project more stable and less complex
Suction Gripers
One or more suction gripper will be used such as bellows or group of them. They are relatively simple, compact, light, and inexpensive and require little maintenance. They are capable of firmly gripping parts in high-speed motion applications, as well as providing gentle handling of fragile parts.
Final Deliverable of the Project HW/SW integrated systemCore Industry TransportationOther Industries Others , Health Core Technology RoboticsOther TechnologiesSustainable Development Goals Industry, Innovation and InfrastructureRequired Resources| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 61300 | |||
| PVC fittings(Arms, Tees, Elbows)) | Equipment | 12 | 300 | 3600 |
| Servo Motor for heavy weight(LiFe 6.6V) | Equipment | 3 | 5000 | 15000 |
| Servo Motors(MG 996R)) | Equipment | 4 | 800 | 3200 |
| Arduino Cards | Equipment | 2 | 2000 | 4000 |
| Vacuum Pump | Equipment | 1 | 3000 | 3000 |
| Solenoid Control valve | Equipment | 1 | 1500 | 1500 |
| Suction Gripper | Miscellaneous | 1 | 3000 | 3000 |
| Vacuum control kit | Equipment | 1 | 8000 | 8000 |
| Joints, Wires and other fittings | Miscellaneous | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |
| Power Supply And Joy-Stick Control | Equipment | 1 | 5000 | 5000 |
| Container and base(for all system fitting and demonstration)) | Equipment | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |