Robots-to-goods is proving itself to be an effective form of automation in the warehouse. Gina Chung, vice president of corporate development with Locus Robotics, tells how the concept is playing out in today's facilities, and where it's going.

The concept of robots-to-goods “is a real game-changer,” says Chung. “It rethinks how you automate the warehouse.”

The process involves mobile robots going into the aisles and automatically picking and consolidating orders. Instead of inventory being brought to a fixed location, it stays in place, eliminating one role for human staffers.

The idea is, obviously, a means of reducing the need for people on the warehouse floor. Beyond that, though, it’s “a fundamental redesign of how the warehouse operates,” resulting in new levels of throughput capability.

Also being redesigned is the role of people. Repetitive tasks are assigned to robots, leaving the humans that remain in the warehouse free to take on more complex jobs, such as managing, maintaining and supporting the robotic fleet.

One might assume that the setup results in fewer humans in the facility, but that’s not necessarily the case. “You would be surprised where automation is being deployed that labor isn’t being displaced, because there’s such a massive shortage of workers,” Chung says. Estimates are that between 1 million and 2 million warehouse jobs are going unfilled across the country.

Artificial intelligence plays an important supporting role in operating a robots-to-goods system. Today’s autonomous robots are capable of “perceiving, understanding and automatically taking action,” Chung says. “They don’t live behind safety fences or have permanent infrastructure. They can dynamically negotiate a constantly changing, unstructured warehouse.”