AR Induction Station
One of the projects that I worked on during my time at Amazon Robotics was a side board for a sortation center station. Creating stations helps make the jobs easier for employees which allows for faster, and more efficient processing of orders. Please be aware that this project is under NDA, so I am limited in what I can publicly share about it.
Problem Definition & Requirements:
My responsibility on this project was to redesign a panel of this station to fulfill the requirements of the station and to improve upon a previous design. This panel had a few requirements as listed below:
​
Main Requirements:
-
Panel must provide a protective barrier to prevent associate from accessing to AR floor where robots are moving
-
Panel must be sturdy – must be able to withstand force of an associate leaning against it
-
Station must hold the hand scanner for easy access to associate while not getting in the way of routine activities
-
Panel must hold safety features such as station emergency stop and lockout barrier for when station is not in use
​
Design Ideas & Iterations:
I began by designing different industrial ways to solve the problem before going back in and adjusting for the aesthetic design of the station. One of the main ideas I began with was the idea to pull out the panel so that instead of a flat wall, the panel becomes a more robust 3D structure without crowding into the associate’s space too much. Since the width of one end of the panel was already defined to match its connection point to the rest of the station, I decided to angle the new design to create a three-legged structure. I also created a new leg assembly that incorporated more robust leg pieces and allowed for adjustable height to compensate for any uneven flooring on site. This created a structure that was sturdy free-standing but also could easily be mounted and connected to the rest of the station design. I also incorporated a cutout and panel for a hand scanner mount as well as a shelf to store the associate's personal items of other packaging materials that may be needed.
​
*Note: I cannot share images of the full design per my NDA agreement.
​
As mentioned, one subset of this design included creating the bracket panel on which the hand scanner would be mounted. This design went through a few iterations with the highlights detailed below.
Initial Problem:
Scanner is precariously placed and can easily be knocked off by accidental impact in associate's daily tasks
​
Implemented Design Change:
Created deeper scanner mount to more securely hold scanner and protect from impact and disconnection of scanner
Problem:
Ergonomics testing revealed handle of scanner is too upright and at an awkward angle to grab quickly for use
​
Implemented Design Change:
Created triangular shape to allow for shallower angle of handle and keep scanner protected from impacts
Problem:
Difficult to reach mounting points of scanner base and panel is now too deep so it interferes with leg frame
​
Implemented Design Change:
Add height above scanner for easy access to mount points and cut off tip of triangular to shorten while still protecting
Final Solution:
Scanner is securely placed and is not easily knocked off. Angle of handle is more comfortable for easy gripping
Evolution of Hand Scanner Mount
Another subset of this design was the placement and structure of the safety features. To mount the safety features, I worked with the idea of extending the legs of the station up through the surface to create two columns for the barrier and emergency stop pieces to both be mounted at eye level, but this design was too industrial and was not aesthetically pleasing. I then decided to create a single tower to mount on top of the rail to house both the barrier and the emergency stop. I created a single rectangular tower with a thermoplastic cap and placed it in the front of the wall for easy access. This idea was good, but still required a few minor adjustments to make it more ideal. I finally decided on a design that would make the tower a little taller to put both the barrier and emergency stop at a more comfortable and visible height and added a safety sign to alert the user of the emergency stop location. I also removed the thermoplastic cap as this piece would only add to the cost of the components and instead designed a more sleek top to the tower by angling the surface and adding finished welds to the seams. Finally, I ended up relocating the tower to the back corner of the panel and adjusting the angle of the positioning to face the associate in order to allow for easier reach to these safety features.
Evolution of Safety Tower
Documentation and Part Release:
In addition to designing the components, I also had to document and release the components. We used Agile PLM to document new parts and and component iterations. This was my first time using this software, so I learned a great deal about creating new parts and implementing design changes through engineering change orders (ECOs). I created multiple ECOs to release the parts and assemblies as well as to replace the older versions with newer iterations.