AI Robotics in the supply chain

A tool for improving efficiency

Robots are tools. In supply chains, people use them to get more leverage out of their labour. Traditionally, this meant robots would automate repeatable tasks. Although this was a good solution, it was a rigid one - robots relied on a well understood environment and were limited in what they could do. “In reality, not every logistics company can benefit from 40 robots that move material all day long” says Rosalind.

One solution, multiple uses  

Advances in technology are driving the development of multipurpose robots. These are machines that can perform unstructured tasks in dynamic environments. For example, the same robot can do one task in the morning, and a different one in the afternoon. “We are at a point where we understand that if you can make one piece of hardware do multiple different tasks, you can derive a lot of value from that” explains Rosalind. 

According to a report by Citi, 80% of warehouses are not yet automated, and only the top 20% of warehouse companies have some type of automation. These companies have the capital to make significant investments in robotics. But, the next phase of robotics, enabled by AI and recent advances in hardware, will have more accessible and flexible robots. 

AI: the game-changer in robotics

AI is being integrated across the robotics stack, making robots more flexible, dynamic, and capable of interacting with an unknown world in a way that was impossible before. “In the past, you needed scale to be able to take advantage of this type of automation. In the future, with these more flexible robots, you will be able to start with one robot and get value out of that one robot. Then, you can add in another robot when you see the capability coming in for the labour that you need” says Rosalind.

This shift means that smaller logistics companies, that couldn’t necessarily afford extensive automation in the past, can now take advantage of robotics in new ways. “We’re going to see a lot more automation penetration within the warehouse market” Rosalind says, “we can be excited about robots bringing in greater efficiency and greater productivity”.

Rethinking tomorrow

Looking ahead, Rosalind thinks the next phase of human evolution is the evolution of robotics. She says, “I don't think that's something to be afraid of. I think you can think of them as our children. All you can do is hope that you've made them better than yourself.”