Logistics Innovation Reveals Emerging Technologies

The major component driving the advancement of the logistics industry is the digital transformation.Emerging technologies offer new solutions to tackle existing challenges such as warehouse automation,last-mile delivery,and transportation optimization.For logistic companies striving to survive in this highly competitive industry,it is vital to innovate rapidly and integrate new solutions.

推动物流业发展的主要因素是数字化转型。新兴技术为应对仓库自动化、最后一英里交付及运输优化等现有挑战提供了新的解决方案。对于努力在这个竞争激烈的行业中求生存的物流公司来说，快速创新和集成新的解决方案至关重要。

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)

自动导引车

Considered the ground equivalent of drones in last-mile delivery,automated guided vehicles hold an even greater potential for disruptionin the logistics industry.Logistics companies willing to innovate in this area can draw from various use cases such as last-mile delivery,line-haul transportation,and warehousing operations.In warehousing,the main application,AGVs massively contribute to a new paradigmof material handlingby meeting full automation.In last-mile delivery,significant progress is made as well with automated guided vehicles even being ahead of drones as the regulatory system is more open towards them.

在最后一英里交付中，自动导引车被视作地面上的无人机，对物流业具有更大的颠覆性。愿意在这一领域进行创新的物流公司可以借鉴多种使用案例，如最后一英里交付、长途运输和仓储运营。在仓储这一主要应用领域，自动导引车通过实现全自动化，为物料输送的新模式做出巨大贡献。在最后一英里交付方面，自动导引车也取得了重大进展，甚至领先于无人机，因为监管体系对它们更为开放。

Robotics & automation

机器人技术和自动化

In less structured environments,robots are already capable of manipulating objects,therefore,supporting zero-defects logistics processes and massively supporting performance as well as improving sensing capabilities up to a point where they nearly substitute manual handling.These robots are either 100% automated or collaborate with people (“cobot”).A few of the use cases are remarkably conceivable: fully automatic solutions unload containers or palletize which establishes new application areas such as collaborative,pick& place,and shelving robots among many others.Whereas large companies focus on integration (building hardware and combining it with vision/tactilesolutions),cutting-edge startups tend to specialize on vision and tactile solutions,one of the biggest opportunities in the robotics area as they aim to solve challenges such as speed,picking from random,part quality vision,and color contrast.

在结构化程度较低的场景中，机器人已能操纵物体，从而支持零缺陷物流流程，大幅提升物流效率，感知能力也提升到几乎与人类比肩的程度。这些机器人要么完全自动化，要么与人协作（即“协作机器人”）。我们很容易想象一些使用案例：利用全自动解决方案卸载货柜或码垛，从而开创许多新的应用领域，如可以完成分拣和取放、货架整理的协作机器人等。大公司专注于集成，即构建硬件并将其与视觉/触觉解决方案相结合，而尖端初创公司往往专攻视觉和触觉解决方案——这是机器人技术最大的潜在市场之一，旨在解决速度、杂乱环境下抓取、零部件质量视觉检测、颜色对比等方面的挑战。

Augmented reality (AR)& wearables

增强现实和可穿戴设备

Wearable technology such as smart clothing,bionicarms or smart contact lenses act as a powerful support tool for the human workforce.Adding an augmented reality system such as wearable cameras or smart-glass displays unlocks additional value for logistics companies,e.g.gamification to train & onboardnew employees or the utilization of smart glasses for picking,positioning and scanning to empower employees to work hands-free.

智能服装、仿生手臂、智能隐形眼镜等可穿戴技术是人力的强大支持工具。添置一个增强现实系统，如可穿戴摄像头或智能玻璃显示器，能为物流公司带来额外价值，例如通过游戏化形式来培训和录用新员工，或利用智能眼镜进行挑选、定位和扫描，使员工不用动手也能工作。

Drones

无人机

Drones (akaunmanned aerial vehicles)begin to disrupt the industry by offering in- and outdoor use cases such as last-mile delivery,inventory management,security,inspection scanning,serving as collaborative tools for delivering items between employees inside the warehouse as well as certain material handling scenarios.Though drones are not expected to replace ground delivery entirely (see AGVs for reference),this technology has a significant impact on logistics processes.

无人机（又称无人驾驶飞行器）开始颠覆这个行业，它提供了室内和室外的使用案例，如最后一英里交付、库存管理、安防及扫描检查。作为协作工具，无人机可在仓库内于员工之间传送物品，并在某些场景下搬运货物。虽然预计无人机不会完全取代地面交付工具（如自动导引车），但这项技术对物流流程有重大影响。

Last-mile delivery

最后一英里交付

As the rise of ecommerce has reinforced the importance of customer preferences and demands,last-mile delivery has become a vital aspect for logistics companies.Through making use of smart lockers,a flexible courier workforce along with the power of the crowd,last-mile delivery acts as a key differentiator in terms of customer satisfaction.

电子商务的兴起强化了客户偏好和需求的重要性，最后一英里交付因而成为物流公司的一项重要业务。通过使用智能储物柜、灵活的快递员队伍以及群体的力量，最后一英里交付成为客户满意度方面的关键分水岭。

Anticipatory logistics

物流预测

Though anticipatory logistics is not yet very common in the industry,it is without a doubt that it will become a powerful asset.Implemented through software solutions,anticipatory logistics predict demand before it occurs.This enables logistics companies to substantially improve efficiency through reduced delivery time and better utilization of their transport capacity and network through predictive algorithms derived from big data.

虽然物流预测在业内还不是很普遍，但毫无疑问，它将具有强大价值。通过软件对物流进行预测，从而预知物流需求。物流公司从大数据得出预测算法，能够缩短交付时间，更好地利用其运输能力和运输网络，从而大幅提高效率。

Machine learning

机器学习

Machine learning or,as it is sometimes called self-learning,is one technology bound to transform the logistics industry as we know it today.Because this form of Artificial Intelligence (AI)requires very little human intervention and adapts algorithms according to the data received,it becomes more efficient automatically.Some application areas for machine learning in the logistics industry include the optimization of algorithms for shippers to select carriers,route and do quality control,the use of natural language processing (NLP)to speed up data entries,as well as the optimization of storage,order picking,order validation and waste reduction in the warehouse.Ultimately,this results in process optimization and the automation of decision making in logistics.

机器学习，有时也称为自学习，这项技术必将改变我们今天所知的物流业。作为一种人工智能，机器学习几乎无须人工干预，它根据接收到的数据调整算法，因此会自动变得更加高效。机器学习在物流业的一些应用包括：优化托运人选择承运人、路线和进行质量控制的算法；使用自然语言处理加速数据输入；优化仓库中的存储、订单分拣、订单验证及减少浪费。最终，机器学习将实现最优化的物流流程和自动化的物流决策。

Internet of Things (IoT)

物联网

Logistics companies are widely expected to take full advantage of the Internet of Things as it holds many promises.Some of the many application areas include smart objects taking part in event-drivenprocesses,asset tracking within the warehouse and in the delivery status,environment sensing (e.g.freshness monitoring),and fleet management.Overall,the IoT adds massive value across the entire supply chain including warehousing,last-mile delivery,and freight transportation.■

人们普遍认为物流公司会充分利用物联网，因为物联网潜力多多。物联网应用领域广泛，其中包括：参与事件驱动流程的智能物体、储存和交付状态下的资产跟踪、环境感知（如新鲜度监测）以及车队管理。总之，物联网为整个供应链带来巨大价值，惠及仓储、最后一英里交付及货物运输。 □