Meet TORY the new librarian

22nd December 2016

MetraLabs

Anna Flockett

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A robot can now record the amount of books and goods in the Library of the Max-Planck-Institute in Luxembourg, for the first time. MetraLabs proves that their RFID inventory robot TORY can be used in various inventory applications.

The MPI Luxembourg Library tested the RFID inventory robot TORY by MetraLabs and in just one hour TORY took stock of 35,000 books. The read accuracy was above 99%. Driving past the shelves, TORY scanned the UHF-RFID transponders on the books.

TORY moves completely autonomously and securely even in dynamic environments, and this is thanks to MetraLabs’ proven proprietary navigation software, no manual action is required.

Right after the test, Johannes Trabert and Robert Arenknecht from MetraLabs presented the results at the Autumn Meeting of the Max Planck Society (MPG) Social Sciences Libraries 2016. The theme was ‘Innovation in Libraries’. Companies from Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Singapore presented their latest developments in smart technology, augmented reality and robotics.

Juja Chakarova, Head of the Library, observed an increasing interest of libraries in new technologies. Especially for the time-consuming and labour-intensive inventory processes, new solutions are required. Inventory in libraries involves every staff member. Even with the help of handheld RFID scanners, the process takes a couple of months. A robotic solution, such as TORY by MetraLabs, would definitely relieve the staff. Thus, they could use their time to get in contact with the library users and improve the service.