Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
The march of e-commerce now has Amazon advertising two-hour food deliveries in select cities. In this environment, more shippers face pressure to deliver goods at a faster pace, all while keeping costs under control. To cope, many organizations are pinning their hopes on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT). But when will these “emerging” technologies form practical applications that solve logistics pain points? To find out how these emerging technologies are evolving into logistics relevance, we talked to top consultants and analysts. We found that AI is already being…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.63
…future - for many businesses, it’s the present. While Amazon has been the front-runner in this field, they have kept most of their advances to themselves. Thankfully, numerous companies have stepped into the breach to develop similar autonomous robots and other automated systems, which shepherd pallets and individual items around the warehouse. The advantages of automation are numerous. Autonomous vehicles and robots can be more reactive, as they receive an order from a WMS and immediately know where to go to carry it out. They also present safety benefits, as they can support heavy loads and pose no risk of…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.62
…this area. UberRUSH for parcels, Postmates, Deliv, Lynk and Amazon Flex provide spot-market deliveries by independent drivers are examples of the changing landscape. LSPs tender delivery jobs on their apps to alert drivers. Picking up and delivering ad hoc isn’t as efficient as delivering something where you have strong route management, with items in your truck and you know where you’re going. But technology overcomes this challenge to leverage vehicle utilization, and those with a bike who want to earn extra money can also do so. These services have limited geographic reach and are not yet widespread like the legacy…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.59
…ecosystem for people just getting started or for an Amazon or Procter & Gamble that is further along in their journey.” Standards and partnerships In addition to ease of use, standards for safety and interoperability are crucial to encouraging businesses to use robotics. “Safety is critical,” Burnstein said. “The Washington Post recently talked to me and Boston Dynamics, and it reported that one of the main barriers to robot butlers in the home is the technology for working in different environments is still not there yet.” “Standards are always going to be a critical issue,” said Burnstein. “We're working on…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.58
…chain space,” Saad said, referring to what is now Amazon Robotics. “6 River Systems was started by folks who were ex-Kiva, so again, they were coming the logistics space. Locus Robotics was started by Quiet Logistics.” ROI potential needs to be clear and customer feedback strong Neel Mehta Mehta said G2 Venture Partners focuses on companies that are in a growth stage—think Series B+ funding rounds—and have demonstrated a strong return on investment (ROI) for their customers. “A lot of our diligence as we get up to speed on companies, a lot of that comes from customer signaling,” he said.…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.57
…are used in manufacturing, retail, and shipping and receiving applications by companies including Walmart, UPS, DHL, Wayfair, Tesla, and Amazon. Newcastle Systems recently released an industry report, “Bridging the Gap Between Humans and Automation.” This article is posted with permission.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.57
…with the need for increased efficiency.” Automation for workforce, 'Amazon effect' challenges Before the pandemic, factors like record-low unemployment and rising wage rates had already made robotic lift trucks attractive to some operations, said Kevin Paramore, emerging technology commercialization manager at Yale Materials Handling Corp. The labor situation is different now, but due to social distancing measures and health and safety policies requiring workers who are feeling ill to stay home, distribution centers may still have difficulty maintaining their workforce. The end effect is that more operations will see automation as part of the answer to labor shortages. “When you…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.56
…are in production, they're still in the single digits. Amazon can hire tens of thousands of people and use thousands of robots, but very few companies can do that.” “We're seeing human beings picking everywhere,” he said. “Most facilities start with pilot projects, but a lot of automation deployments end there because the solution provider wasn't at the technology level to be stable in production.” “Having systems stop all the time kills productivity gains. You shouldn't need a human being to watch a robot all the time,” said Diankov. “Mujin has been doing this for the past five years.” “One…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.55
…warehouse for reasons of safety. It was homogenous. After Amazon bought Kiva, we saw a whole new set of robot-to-goods solutions from companies like Locus Robotics, 6 River Systems, and Fetch Robotics. However, like Kiva, they were homogenous solutions. They did one thing and did it well, but they were “islands of automation.” At this year's MODEX, we saw vendors such as Addverb Technologies, Geek+, or Mujin showing off their robot portfolios. Or, we saw vendors like RightHand Robotics, HAI Robotics, or Tompkins Robotics demonstrating how all of their different robot types could work together. For instance, RightHand showed its…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.55
…Motors had a $1.5 billion initial public offering, and Amazon.com bought Zoox for $1.2 billion. Lyft ride-hailing rival Uber Inc. sold its Advanced Technologies Group to Aurora Innovation Inc. for $4 billion in equity in December 2020. Recent partnership examples include AutoX and Honda China collaborating on testing in China, Aurora and Volvo partnering on autonomous trucks, and Siemens Digital Industries Software working with the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto. Race to autonomous driving is a marathon, not a sprint Toyota has said that it plans to offer next-generation mobility services rather than fully autonomous vehicles. Both Woven Planet and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.54
…cost or delivery time. The dominance of companies like Amazon has pushed two-day shipping options to become standard in many cases. What the space faces next is a preference and competitive advantage of one-day or same-day shipping demands. And customers are willing to pay for it. Same-day shipping is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity that is expected to grow continuously through 2025 thanks to e-commerce offers and consumers being always connected to the Internet. Meeting this demand requires real-time inventory understanding throughout a supply chain, including options to turn almost any point in a supply chain to a distribution node. If an…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.53
…Technology Trends 2020 to Stay Competitive E-commerce and the Amazon Effect continue to stand apart in the global supply chain. As the value of e-commerce moves to take a larger market share in retail, shippers need to know how to leverage technology to reap greater rewards and value. The right applications of technology, inclusive of analytics, advanced TMS solutions, and automation, will make the biggest difference and help shippers stay competitive and survive. Will 2020 - the presumed “Golden Era of Supply Chain Technology” - finally bring balance to the forces of logistics? All indicators say, “yes,” but only if…