The Raymond Corporation has opened a new funding cycle for its University Research Program, with artificial intelligence, humanoid robots, connected lift trucks and safer interaction between people and automated equipment among the areas it wants researchers to explore. The 2026-2027 program will provide up to $500,000 in grant funding to North American universities, with individual projects eligible for up to $250,000 for one year of research.
Raymond launched the program in 2016 and says it has since funded projects at more than 30 universities. Previous research has covered warehouse automation, logistics flexibility, virtual reality and operator productivity, omnichannel facilities, vehicle routing and robotics.
For the new funding cycle, however, the research agenda is especially revealing. Under its “Future of Logistics” category, Raymond is looking for work on adaptive human-machine interfaces and embedded AI for vehicle awareness, decision support, task execution and vehicle control.
Other priorities include component and vehicle prognostics, remaining useful life, resilient warehouse automation, cybersecurity for connected material handling systems and interoperability between connected equipment.
Humanoid robots are also on the list. Raymond is inviting research into their potential use for order and piece picking, replenishment, exception handling, irregular loads and trailer or container unloading. It is also asking researchers to evaluate those applications against AMRs, robotic arms, conventional automation and human labor.
Humanoid robots are attracting plenty of attention in warehousing, but the more practical question is where they can actually outperform equipment and automation already available.
Forklift Safety Remains Part of the Research Agenda
The program also stays close to Raymond’s lift truck roots. Research priorities include operator-assist technologies, situational awareness, advanced perception, sensor fusion and contextual forklift or fleet operation.
Raymond is also seeking work on predictive risk mitigation in mixed environments where pedestrians, manually operated trucks and autonomous equipment share the same space. The company specifically points to blind intersections, aisle entrances and exits, pedestrian crossings, loading docks, reversing, turning, congestion and interactions between manual and autonomous trucks. Those are familiar warehouse hazards, but they are becoming more complex as automation is layered into facilities that still depend heavily on conventional lift trucks and pedestrian traffic.
RIT Research Looks at Human-AMR Communication
Raymond also highlighted a University Research Program project at Rochester Institute of Technology examining how warehouse workers communicate with autonomous mobile robots. Dr. Michael Kuhl and Dr. Ehsan Rashedi studied warehouse communication practices including horns, verbal communication, visual signals and informal gestures, then developed a structured gesture vocabulary covering worker intentions, commands and bidirectional acknowledgment.
The project combines human factors, ergonomics, cognitive considerations and computer vision. “As warehouses and distribution centers continue to adopt automation, the industry needs communication methods that feel natural to workers while remaining reliable for autonomous systems,” the researchers said.
The work points to a broader challenge in warehouse automation. As AMRs, autonomous lift trucks and other robotic systems move closer to people, effective communication becomes part of the safety problem, not just a software issue.
Raymond’s research list suggests a similar shift in emphasis. The next stage of material handling development is not only about automating individual tasks. It is increasingly about how forklifts, AMRs, AI systems, sensors and people work together in the same facility.
The new proposal cycle opens October 1. Concept papers are due December 31, final applications are due February 28, 2027, and selected projects are expected to be announced in May. More information is available at UniversityResearchProgram.com.
Raymond’s latest university research program targets AI, humanoid robots, forklift safety, sensor fusion and human-machine interaction in warehouses.
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