Published on July 13th, 2017 | by Guest

The Automated Future of Warehousing Business

Constant improvements in the field of artificial intelligence are slowly creating a fully automated society. It all started with the car industry. Simple, repetitive jobs were given to the machines because their efficiency is unrivaled. Even then, experts claimed that it is only a matter of time before smart robots completely take over jobs that are simple to execute but require a lot of focus and efficiency. Speed up a couple of years and that time has come.

Car manufacturing is almost completely automated, there are 3D printers that build houses, and even warehouses are run by robots. Even though we can write a piece about all these innovations, today, we will focus on warehousing robots. If you wondered how your goods are delivered on such short notice despite the distance and increased demand, then let us unravel that mystery.

Many robots of warehousing industry

First on our list are Amazon`s robots. As you might know, Amazon is a huge company that stores and delivers millions of items each day. It would be impossible to run such a huge operation without the help of artificial intelligence.

These robots are not real AI by definition, but they run on deep-learning software that allows them to adapt and improve on the go. Amazon still uses human workforce in their warehouses, but robots handle most of the tasks, particularly searching and storing goods. They use sophisticated algorithms to deliver goods from one side of the warehouse to the other side in a matter of minutes. The job of a worker is packaging and shipping.

Now, Amazon uses high-tech stuff, but there are even more advanced robots available for purchase. Fetch and Freight is a great example of that. This system will pick and pack items for you, further reducing the need for the human workforce.

Fetch and Freight works separately. The first part of the system, named Fetch, is responsible for finding and sorting items. The second part, named Freight, is responsible for moving selected items across the warehouse. Together they are a perfect duo that is capable of locating, delivering, and packaging any type of item, in any type of environment.

However, the best part of this system is its open source nature. Fetch and Freight runs on an open source OS that allows it to adapt to any warehouse. Advanced scanners and sensors map the whole area, so there is no chance of them bumping into each other or causing mayhem.

Still not there yet

These two are just some of many robots that are currently developed for warehouses all across the world. Sure, there are a lot more models that run on different technology, but Amazon`s robots and Fetch and Freight are perfect examples of where this technology is heading in the future.

Even though we have all these improvements, we are still not capable of complete automation when it comes to warehouse industry. Human workforce and scissor lifts are still pretty much a must-have in this line of work so don’t put all of your chips on smart robots. Of course, this technology is in its infancy and we will see only improvements from now on.

And that is about it that we have to say on this topic. As you can see, the future is exciting, even for warehousing companies. It might take a couple more years for it to develop, but the technology will arrive, that we are certain of. In the meantime, you will have to do the work the old-fashioned way.

Tags: automated, business, future, warehousing