Honeywell International Inc., a manufacturing and technology company, announced its latest innovation in robotic technology designed to help warehouses and distribution centers automate the manual process of unloading pallets, reducing the operational risks of potential injuries and labor shortages.

Driven by sophisticated machine learning and advances in perception and gripping technologies, Honeywell's Smart Flexible Depalletizer minimizes the need for manual labor to break down pallet loads — roles that carry risk of injury to labor, experience high turnover and are currently difficult to staff. A typical medium- to large-sized distribution center unpacks up to several thousand pallets per day, with the probability of errors, injuries and worker fatigue increasing during each shift.

"Even when manual operations are running smoothly without injuries, the physical, repetitive task of unloading pallets is variable and limited by human constraints," said Dr. Thomas Evans, chief technology officer of Honeywell Robotics. "Our Smart Flexible Depalletizer helps improve throughput by operating consistently without interruption over multiple shifts with minimal human interaction. With the labor constraints warehouses and distribution centers are seeing in filling these manual roles, this solution can be an ideal fit to help keep up with daily order volumes."

About Honeywell

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Its technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer and more sustainable.