Imagine a team of humans and robots working together to process online orders. Real-life workers strategically positioned among their automated coworkers who are moving intelligently back and forth in a warehouse (仓库)space, picking items for shipping to the customer.

This could become a reality sooner or later thanks to researchers at the University of Missouri, who are working to speed up the online delivery process by developing a software model designed to make transport robots smarter.

“The robotic technology already exists,” said Sharan Srinivas, who specializes in data analytics and operations research. “Our goal is to best apply this technology through efficient planning. To do this, we’re asking questions like ‘given a list of items to pick, how do you optimize (优化)the route plan for the human pickers and robots?’ or ‘how many items should a robot pick in a given tour?’ Likewise, we have a similar set of questions for the human worker. The most challenging part is optimizing the collaboration plan between the human pickers and robots.”:

Currently, a lot of human effort and labor costs are involved with fulfilling online orders. To help optimize this process, robotic companies have already developed cooperative robots, also known as cobots or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), to work in a warehouse or distribution center. AMRs are equipped with sensors and cameras to help them navigate(确定方向)around a controlled space like a warehouse.

Srinivas said, “The robot is intelligent, so if it’s instructed to go to a particular location, it can navigate the warehouse and not hit any workers or other obstacles along the way. AMRs are not designed to replace human workers, but instead can work cooperatively alongside them to help increase the efficiency of the order fulfillment process.”

“The one drawback is that these robots do not have good grasping abilities,” said Srinivas. “But humans are good at grasping items, so we are trying to balance the strength of both resources.”

Every so often, mankind comes up with really good inventions that have changed our daily lives. However, the U.S. Patent Office has issued over 7. 5 million patents, and not all of them are quite so celebrated. Some good, some bad, and some crazy! The following lists some of the more unusual ideas that have come along.

Snake Leash

In 2002, a patent was issued for a snake-walking leash. There are at least two major problems with this idea.   1) Dog leashes fit securely between the head and shoulders. A snake does not have shoulders; so it might slither away. 2) Dogs are OK for public places because they are social animals, and people like them. Snakes are not OK for public places because they are not social, and some people are terrified of them.

Stadium Helmet

Americans are known for our love of sports. Unfortunately, good tickets to games are expensive, and some fans have to sit in the nosebleed sections. This invention, patented in 2000, is designed for these fans.   Featuring a built-in radio, binoculars(望远镜) , a cooling fan,   and a helmet for falling litter, this design transforms the stadium experience.

Bacon Alarm Clock

When you think about it, waking to the dreadful, blaring noise of an alarm clock is a terrible way to start the day. However; this clock could change that. You simply put a piece of frozen bacon in the alarm clock, set the alarm, and go to sleep. The clock gently wakes you up with the mouthwatering smell of bacon the next morning, just like waking up on a Sunday morning to the smell of Mom cooking breakfast. Who said there’s no time to eat breakfast?

Toilet Lock

In 1969, a patent was issued for a really bad idea – the toilet seat lock. First of all, fishing for your keys when you have to go seems very unpleasant. Then there is the possibility of losing the key altogether. What about guests? Just think that you would have to ask permission for the bathroom. Of course, there is the ultimate question: Why would you lock it in the first place?

Humana Bird Feeder

People have always admired the gracefulness and beauty of birds, and bird watching is a popular hobby. Unfortunately, getting up close and personal is a challenge. That is, until now.   In 1999, a patent was issued for a helmet with birdfeeders attached to it. Although there may be a design flaw (缺陷) (turning the head to see the birds would probably frighten them), this invention could change the way of bird watching.

A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Washington D.C. made a bit of aviation (航空) history last December, completing a 600-mile trip that the airline hopes will prove the first leg of a journey to a greener future.

In a first, one of the two engines on the 737 Max 8 was powered entirely by fuel made from used cooking oil and waste fat from beef, pork and chicken. Refined (提炼) at a Southern California plant, the fuel produces about 80% less emissions (排放) than conventional aviation fuel. Biofuel had been mixed with conventional fuel in the past, but United Airlines said it had never been used by itself in the engine of a commercial flight.

The Chicago carrier made the flight to show the progress it has made toward its goal of getting rid of greenhouse gas emissions by2050. It’s a goal shared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

For now, the biggest challenge is producing enough low-emission, sustainable aviation fuel that can be used in existing commercial planes without adjustment to power the world’s airlines. The world’s refineries now produce about 26.4 million gallons of low-emission, sustainable aviation fuel a year. That is only a tiny part of the 18.3 billion gallons of fuel burned by U.S. carriers alone in 2019.

“There is no question there is a challenge,” Gene Gebolys, chief executive of World Energy, a Boston biofuel energy company, said. “It’s all about scale (规模).”

World Energy’s Paramount, California, facility now has the capacity to refine cooking oil and animal fat into 15 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel a year. The company is investing $1.5 billion to modernize the facility and enable it to produce up to 370 million gallons a year.

“Standing where we are right now, it is going to be an extremely ambitious goal to get to net zero by 2050,” Gebolys said. “Do I think it’s possible? Absolutely.”