As consumer demands for food safety and quality increase, along with a continuous recovery in consumer demand, the cold chain market is showing a steady upward trend.

According to the "China Cold Chain Logistics Development Report (2024 Edition)," in 2023, China's cold chain logistics market size has exceeded 500 billion yuan, accounting for about 25% of the global share; the total demand for cold chain logistics is about 350 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6.1%; the total volume of cold storage has increased to 228 million cubic meters, a year-on-year increase of 8.3%.

The main regions for cold chain storage demand are first and second-tier cities and coastal developed areas in North China, East China, and South China, as well as central city circles in Sichuan, Henan, and other central and western regions; places like Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Guangxi have seen a large increase in the volume of new cold storage, and the trend of upgrading cold chain services and infrastructure is steadily expanding to second-tier cities.

Traditional cold storage operations heavily rely on manual labor, which not only poses a threat to human health but also limits the work efficiency of the cold storage and the guarantee of product quality. With the popularization of intelligent technology and the expansion of cold storage scale, the transformation of cold storage operation mode has become a consensus in the industry development. Mobile robot technology, as the key to the automation of cold chain logistics, is gradually being introduced into cold storage, distribution centers, and other scenarios.

Two major application challenges

The strict temperature control requirements of cold chain logistics and the numerous types of goods pose higher challenges to the application of mobile robots. In summary, the application of mobile robots in cold chain warehousing logistics mainly faces the following difficulties:

1.Low-temperature adaptability of core components

In extreme low-temperature and large temperature difference environments, the laser, battery, and other core components of mobile robots are greatly tested, which is easy to cause damage, and the available capacity of the battery in ultra-low temperature will also decrease, the charging and discharging power is limited, affecting the battery life.

The water vapor and ice fog formed by the cold storage and the temperature zone are prone to interfere with the laser radar, affecting the accuracy of navigation; the areas entering and leaving the cold storage are mostly slippery ground, and the movement of mobile robots is prone to skidding, affecting the accuracy of navigation and work efficiency.

2.Non-standard complexity of warehousing logistics

The goods involved in the cold chain scenario have characteristics such as a variety of types, different sizes and weights, rapid turnover, and seasonal demand fluctuations. Coupled with the complex and diverse cold chain environment, it puts forward higher requirements for the flexibility and adaptability of the overall warehousing logistics management.

How does SEER Robotics solve it?

1.One-stop vehicle manufacturing: Low-temperature resistant mobile robots

SEER Robotics provides a one-stop vehicle manufacturing solution based on the SRC controller, supporting the autonomous manufacturing of mobile robots according to specific scene needs. The following is the vehicle manufacturing module selection plan for the low-temperature resistant mobile robot.

The core controller can choose the entry-level controller SRC-880 of SEER Robotics and the safety controller SRC-3000FS, both of which support use in the temperature range of -30~55℃ and can adapt to the cold storage working environment, helping customers to quickly and at low cost manufacture mobile robots suitable for the cold storage environment for internal handling and picking in cold storage.

In the vehicle platform module, the vehicle body structure selects high-strength low-temperature resistant materials to ensure good mechanical performance and structural stability at low temperatures; the surface of the vehicle body can be treated with anti-corrosion and waterproofing to prevent moisture and condensation in the cold storage from damaging the vehicle body. Multiple measures ensure the long-term reliable operation of mobile robots in the cold storage environment.

In terms of perception modules, low-temperature resistant, heating-enabled laser products can be selected to ensure normal operation in low-temperature environments. The heating function can not only defog but also reduce the impact of water vapor and ice fog on the performance of laser sensors, ensuring the reliability of the navigation and obstacle avoidance system of mobile robots at low temperatures.

In addition to ordinary heating measures, SEER Robotics has specially designed an "Intelligent Environmental Adaptation System" that can automatically adjust environmental conditions through intelligent judgment of scenes and temperature change trends, to eliminate water fog and frost on the laser emission surface, ensuring the efficient operation of laser sensors in low-temperature environments and improving the navigation and obstacle avoidance performance of mobile robots.

In terms of energy modules, low-temperature special edition batteries are selected, which support operation and charging in low-temperature environments, ensuring that mobile robots can continue to work under extreme low-temperature conditions. The high efficiency and reliability of low-temperature special batteries greatly improve the work efficiency and operating time of mobile robots, providing a solid guarantee for special environment applications such as cold storage.

In terms of external device modules, anti-slip devices can be added to mobile robots, increasing the grip of the tires, and combining special materials and designs to improve the stability of mobile robots when running on slippery ground.

In addition, relying on the slip detection and slip correction function of the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) of the SRC controller, the advanced algorithm reduces the impact of slipping, ensuring the accuracy and stability of mobile robots in various environments.

In terms of other electrical components, the wiring and electrical components inside the vehicle body can use special materials designed specifically for low-temperature and condensation environments. These materials have undergone tests including low-temperature resistance, performance evaluation in condensation environments, and long-term operation reliability tests, which can effectively ensure stability and reliability in extreme environments.

2.Intelligent Brain: M4 Intelligent Logistics Management System

The M4 intelligent logistics management system of SEER Robotics integrates fleet management (FMS/RCS), logistics equipment management (WCS), warehouse management system (WMS), and multiple solutions in one, supporting robot management, order distribution, route planning,automated equipment management, warehouse entry and exit management, inventory management, etc., which can help enterprises efficiently manage automated warehousing logistics with mobile robots as the core, truly achieving automated logistics upgrades.

At present, the mainstream mature WMS systems on the market mostly cannot fully fit the intelligent warehousing logistics equipment of factories, because these systems are more developed based on manual processes. M4 takes mobile robots as the core, focusing on the integrated management of intelligent equipment warehousing logistics, which is more in line with the intelligent warehousing logistics management needs of high-standard cold storage.

M4 mainly targets the production and manufacturing industry scenes, fully supporting various material management, multi-dimensional inventory management of manufacturing enterprises, and providing a low-code business system, which allows customers to easily arrange business processes according to actual business conditions.

The M4 strategy and algorithm level have also been further optimized to better adapt to actual production, providing basic shelf strategies, batch out strategies, minimum sorting out strategies, forced whole out strategies, automatic empty container out strategies, and material box garage mouth warehouse selection strategies, etc., to easily cope with the variability and non-standard problems of the cold chain scenario.

3.Panoramic Control: Robot Visualization Map

The SEER Robotics robot visualization map includes 2D and 3D visualization products, which provide multi-dimensional robot task-related data by highly restoring the factory scene, and achieve monitoring and management of intelligent equipment in the factory.

Through the robot visualization map, panoramic control of the cold storage interior can be achieved, real-time monitoring and tracking of the movement of mobile robots in the cold storage, and monitoring of temperature, humidity, and other parameters in the cold storage, as well as the status and quantity of goods, truly achieving unmanned intelligent management of the cold storage.