Walmart Running Into Trouble as Its Super-Expensive Robots Can't Handle the Realities of Warehouse Work
futurism.com
Despite spending billions of dollars to automate its warehouses, Walmart is seriously struggling to make even the simplest of robots work.
  • RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zipEnglish
    71·
    2 days ago

    The company this post is referring to doesn’t have bots moving around a warehouse designed for humans. They built a whole building with shelves and space designed for the robots.

    I promise you, the throughout is tremendously higher than humans alone. The bots can get up to roughly 45mph in a few seconds and break to a full stop in the same amount of time. I know this because I work in this space, the system is fast

      • duckshuffgoose@lemmy.mlEnglish
        5·
        2 days ago

        I work for warehouse automation too. It absolutely works. Its just very carefully, meticulously planned. Every tiny edge case is accounted for. Hell. We measure the floor for difference in height to the mm where 3 is a big issue.

        • Soggy@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          Thats kind of the whole problem with robots as tools. They can be incredibly fast and precise but if something is just slightly out of expected alignment they tear themselves apart (or kill someone nearby).

          • duckshuffgoose@lemmy.mlEnglish
            2·
            1 day ago

            Same could be said for using a saw, or electricity.

            If its designed correctly, conforms to safety requirements, there is no real risk to human health.

            Of course a not can always crash, but that should be accounted for and tested against much like go carts on a track

      • RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zipEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        Yep it works. When it’s running one of these things can push, not joking, millions of cases through a single warehouse a day.