AutomatedStorageProposals

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These proposal are for a storage/retrieval system for the undermezzanine spaces, which are too low to walk into.

See Under mezzanine 1 for a rough diagram of one of the rooms.

General thoughts

A overhead system allows the whole floor area to be used for storage, while a floor-based one will take up some space for aisles.

Assuming we stack boxes more than one high, we'll want to keep empty stack slots in reach for "hanoi-ing" to get the lower boxes out. These empty slots need not be in fixed locations.

Interface to the door RFID would allow the system to start fetching your stuff while you're still arriving (even when you don't want it to).

Proposal 1: Gantry crane

A gantry runs along rails at the edges of the room, and a trolley runs along the gantry.

Proposal 2: Serpentine suspended railway

A track runs in a serpentine or spiral pattern, slung under the ceiling, and a trolley runs along it. Mechanically simpler than the gantry, but needs more track, and will probably be slower. Could run out into the main room and bring things to workbenches.

Proposal 3: Floor-based oval railway

A floor-mounted monorail or two-rail system in an oval layout. The railway is fully occupied with trolleys, so pushing one way will bring the next trolley around.