Walmart Will Deploy Robotic Forklifts in Its Distribution Centers (techcrunch.com) 22
An anonymous reader shares a report: The story of warehouse robotics is a story of attempting to keep up with Amazon. It's been more than a decade since the online giant revolutionized its delivery services through its Kiva Systems acquisition. As Walmart works to remain competitive, it's taking a more piecemeal approach to automation, through partnerships with a range of different robotics firms.
On Thursday, the mega-retailer announced a partnership with Fox Robotics, which brings 19 of the Austin-based startup's robotic forklifts to its distribution centers. Today's news follows a 16-month pilot, which found Walmart trialing the technology in Distribution Center 6020. That Florida distribution center is the first of what the company calls its "high-tech DC." These are warehouses where it trials automation and various other technologies, before rolling them out to its wider channel of distribution and fulfillment centers. DC 6020 is the place where Walmart began trials with Symbotic's package sortation and retrieval technologies.
On Thursday, the mega-retailer announced a partnership with Fox Robotics, which brings 19 of the Austin-based startup's robotic forklifts to its distribution centers. Today's news follows a 16-month pilot, which found Walmart trialing the technology in Distribution Center 6020. That Florida distribution center is the first of what the company calls its "high-tech DC." These are warehouses where it trials automation and various other technologies, before rolling them out to its wider channel of distribution and fulfillment centers. DC 6020 is the place where Walmart began trials with Symbotic's package sortation and retrieval technologies.
This scares me (Score:3)
Having experience with driving indoor warehouse electric forklifts I find this a bit scary. A warehouse forklift has long poky things out the front, and weighs twice as much as the average car, and is working in much closer quarters.
My experience was mostly wooden pallets, which are not necessarily straight and have quite a bit of variance when it comes to picking them out of pallet racks, so it often involves a bit of "feel" to successfully get the forks under the pallet without pushing it off the back of the rack or pushing on the rack itself.
I hope they are using some sort of molded pallet, or at least pallets made of plywood and laminated supports so they don't warp and twist like boards, and they have some method of keying them in the pallet racks so they are consistently placed.
This is the kind of automation that will become commonplace and unnoticed , but the people that take the plunge to get it there do so with significant risk.
Re:This scares me (Score:5, Informative)
I looked at their website. They use LiDAR to navigate the electric forklift and image recognition to identify the insertion point in the pallets. They install tags and reflective tape in various places to help the robot get around. I expect they can detect people and obstacles.
They claim they can handle "damaged pallets, double-stacked pallets, and plastic wrap covering pallets" which is a pretty good trick.
https://foxrobotics.com/our-pr... [foxrobotics.com]
Re: (Score:3)
I expect they can detect people and obstacles.
...& if not, who cares? They're only Amazon workers. It's not like anyone will complain if a few get seriously injured or killed. As long as people's stuff gets delivered on time; That's where the real outcries come from, right?
Re:This scares me (Score:4)
Re: (Score:1)
I hope they are using some sort of molded pallet,
Sound expensive, given the life cycle of a pallet. Pallet is picked off a warehouse shelf and loaded onto a truck. Taken to retail outputs, where they are unpacked and then stacked out behind the store. From there, they are stolen and make their way to homeless camps as housing or firewood. Or the chemically treated ones are picked up by hippies and made into furniture like baby cribs for their children.
Who cares (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
Open back up 24/7 already
Why? Are you going to work the midnight shift? Are you not capable of visiting during their long open hours? How often do you shop there that you need them to be open 24/7? Why not be like everyone else and have your Chinese stuff shipped to you?
As difficult as it is to believe, there was a time when nothing was open 24/7, and that included gas stations. Everything worked perfectly fine.
Hans Kristian Graebener = StoneToss
Re: (Score:1)
2. No, I have a job already.
3. See point #1
4. Enough to miss it as an optioon.
5. Takes took long.
Good (Score:5, Insightful)
I used to drive a forklift that was computer-guided in tight spaces. Didn't fail once, but everyone who drove that forklift (including me) eventually did damage when the floor tracking system was not engaged.
Humans can't stay fully aware all the time, especially during boring or repetitive tasks. As long as it's a simple algorithm and not an 'AI', an automated forklift is a safer forklift.
You better have good racks and perfect pallets, though. I wouldn't trust the system with edge cases.
Klaus (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Or this guy [youtu.be]...
What Could Possibly Go Wrong? (Score:2)
Robo-Klaus's first day on the job!
Old Idea (Score:1)
AI? (Score:2)
Human Forklift drivers are dangerous (Score:5, Interesting)
From Former Forklift Operator: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
The little electric forklifts that run round inside Sam's Club weigh 8100 pounds, so significantly heavier than a full size SUV.
Leverage to lift the weight would make them heavy, but to be stable enough to accelerate, decelerate, and turn with a load at the top of the mast they need to be really heavy.
looking forward (Score:2)
I'm looking forward to the fail army videos.
Revolution? (Score:2)
That's a funny way of saying, "purchased Kiva Systems to prevent any other competitor from acquiring similar robots."