The Nonlinear Library LW - the micro-fulfillment cambrian explosion by bhauth
Dec 4, 2023
07:02
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: the micro-fulfillment cambrian explosion, published by bhauth on December 4, 2023 on LessWrong.
Warehouse automation has been very successful. Here's a typical modern system. As you can see, a tall narrow robot rides on a single rail at the top and bottom. The linked example is up to 42m tall. Items are stored on top of pallets, and the robot has a telescoping fork, which might be able to handle 2-deep pallets to improve space efficiency.
Stores are much less automated than warehouses. When you go to a Walmart or Aldi or Ikea, they don't usually have robots in the back - let alone smaller stores. There are now many companies selling automation systems for smaller items and smaller spaces. That's called micro-fulfillment, hereafter "MF".
There are many different configurations being developed and marketed, which indicates that people haven't yet figured out the best approach. Here are some approaches I'm aware of.
Kiva/Amazon
Robots lift an entire rack from below, by driving under it then spinning while turning a ball screw lifter. The rack is carried to a human picker who typically transfers several items. This system was developed by Kiva, which was bought by Amazon and renamed; it now has several clones.
Here's a teardown from 2016. That Kiva design has some problems:
That large ball screw assembly is somewhat expensive for a component.
The robots carrying shelving are top-heavy so they can't accelerate quickly.
The height of shelving is limited by what workers can reach, which limits storage density.
Workers must reach for items that are high up or close to the floor many times a day. A moderate amount of this isn't a big problem, but workers at Amazon facilities need to do that so often that it increases injury rates.
Geek+ RoboShuttle
Elevator robots have a rack-and-pinion driven elevator that lifts a rotating platform. The platform has a grabber that reaches around the sides of totes and slides them onto the elevator. The elevator can them push totes onto fixed storage slots, so it can grab multiple totes in 1 trip.
Carrier robots have a set of powered rollers at a fixed height. Totes can be transferred between them and the elevator robots.
AutoStore
Robots ride on rails on top of a storage cube. They have 2 sets of wheels that can be switched between. Each robot has an elevator system that can lift/lower totes from above. Deep items are dug out, lifting and transferring totes above them until they're available.
Alert Innovation
Robots have multiple sets of wheels, letting them drive on a floor, drive on rails, and move vertically on rails. "Battery-free" probably means they use supercapacitors.
Zikoo
Per-level flat robots lift pallets from below and move them horizontally. They have 2 sets of wheels that can be switched between.
Vertically telescoping forklifts lift pallets from the edge of levels. Pallets are carried to/from there by the flat robots.
Brightpick Autopicker
Robots carry 2 totes, on a single platform lifted by a belt drive, with a robotic arm between them to transfer items. The 2 tote slots on the platform have rollers, and a rolling grabber with vacuum grippers to move the totes on and off.
Brightpick Dispatcher
Like the Brightpick Autopicker, but with 1 tote and no robotic arm.
EXOTEC
Robots can drive on the floor and grab rails to move vertically. After climbing to the right height, they use a telescoping fork to transfer a tote.
Dematic Multishuttle
Elevators lift totes onto a load/unload area with rollers.
Per-level shuttle robots carry totes horizontally. They ride on rails using a single set of wheels, and have telescoping arms that grab totes from the sides or push them.
So, how has MF been going?
My understanding is, most retailers have been taking a hesitant approach. They've mostly been waiting for someone else to show economic succes...
Warehouse automation has been very successful. Here's a typical modern system. As you can see, a tall narrow robot rides on a single rail at the top and bottom. The linked example is up to 42m tall. Items are stored on top of pallets, and the robot has a telescoping fork, which might be able to handle 2-deep pallets to improve space efficiency.
Stores are much less automated than warehouses. When you go to a Walmart or Aldi or Ikea, they don't usually have robots in the back - let alone smaller stores. There are now many companies selling automation systems for smaller items and smaller spaces. That's called micro-fulfillment, hereafter "MF".
There are many different configurations being developed and marketed, which indicates that people haven't yet figured out the best approach. Here are some approaches I'm aware of.
Kiva/Amazon
Robots lift an entire rack from below, by driving under it then spinning while turning a ball screw lifter. The rack is carried to a human picker who typically transfers several items. This system was developed by Kiva, which was bought by Amazon and renamed; it now has several clones.
Here's a teardown from 2016. That Kiva design has some problems:
That large ball screw assembly is somewhat expensive for a component.
The robots carrying shelving are top-heavy so they can't accelerate quickly.
The height of shelving is limited by what workers can reach, which limits storage density.
Workers must reach for items that are high up or close to the floor many times a day. A moderate amount of this isn't a big problem, but workers at Amazon facilities need to do that so often that it increases injury rates.
Geek+ RoboShuttle
Elevator robots have a rack-and-pinion driven elevator that lifts a rotating platform. The platform has a grabber that reaches around the sides of totes and slides them onto the elevator. The elevator can them push totes onto fixed storage slots, so it can grab multiple totes in 1 trip.
Carrier robots have a set of powered rollers at a fixed height. Totes can be transferred between them and the elevator robots.
AutoStore
Robots ride on rails on top of a storage cube. They have 2 sets of wheels that can be switched between. Each robot has an elevator system that can lift/lower totes from above. Deep items are dug out, lifting and transferring totes above them until they're available.
Alert Innovation
Robots have multiple sets of wheels, letting them drive on a floor, drive on rails, and move vertically on rails. "Battery-free" probably means they use supercapacitors.
Zikoo
Per-level flat robots lift pallets from below and move them horizontally. They have 2 sets of wheels that can be switched between.
Vertically telescoping forklifts lift pallets from the edge of levels. Pallets are carried to/from there by the flat robots.
Brightpick Autopicker
Robots carry 2 totes, on a single platform lifted by a belt drive, with a robotic arm between them to transfer items. The 2 tote slots on the platform have rollers, and a rolling grabber with vacuum grippers to move the totes on and off.
Brightpick Dispatcher
Like the Brightpick Autopicker, but with 1 tote and no robotic arm.
EXOTEC
Robots can drive on the floor and grab rails to move vertically. After climbing to the right height, they use a telescoping fork to transfer a tote.
Dematic Multishuttle
Elevators lift totes onto a load/unload area with rollers.
Per-level shuttle robots carry totes horizontally. They ride on rails using a single set of wheels, and have telescoping arms that grab totes from the sides or push them.
So, how has MF been going?
My understanding is, most retailers have been taking a hesitant approach. They've mostly been waiting for someone else to show economic succes...