Robots are becoming so capable that within 15 minutes of your clicking an order button from an online retailer, Betty Bots, or robots, in a far off warehouse will have received the order, retrieved the item, packed it, addressed it and posted it. If you order something large and bulky, and there is enough volume, a robot will be designed to pick, pack and ship it.
Who Are Betty-Bots?
Betty-Bot isn’t perfect. She must take a five-minute break every hour to recharge her batteries. A total of two hours of downtime per 24 hour day. But Betty-Bot’s children or grandchildren, no doubt, will be able to charge batteries wirelessly in real time. She’ll put in a full 24 hour day and only need down time for oiling and part changes.
Betty-Bot in the following video works in a 300,000 square foot warehouse that carries 1.2 million items. She knows where every item is and there are dozens of Betty-Bots working all the time in this warehouse. They never make a mistake, never complain to a supervisor, never take a vacation, don’t need coffee, cigarette breaks, junk food from vending machines, lunch breaks, doctor’s appointments or time off to go pick up the kiddies from school.
Finally, all of these Betty-Bot brains are connected wirelessly to a computer which runs an algorithm at the speed of light to help identify the robot closest to an item that has just been ordered. There is never a mix-up where two robots show up at the same time and then stop to talk to each other.
In this scenario, humans just can’t compete. There is no chance for us to keep up with this robot’s production. Game, set and match to the robot and the people who own her.
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References and related links:
- Warehouse Robots At Work
- Help! The Robots are Coming to a Distribution Center near You (and soon!) – Supply Chain 24/7
- Automated Material Handling Order Fulfillment System — Kiva Systems
