This is a linkpost for https://www.bhauth.com/blog/industrial%20design/microfulfillment.html

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 yet. Here are some approaches I'm aware of.

Kiva/Amazon

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First published:
December 4th, 2023

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4gQjEvQt7oByfYHNH/the-micro-fulfillment-cambrian-explosion

Linkpost URL:
https://www.bhauth.com/blog/industrial design/microfulfillment.html

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[Linkpost] “the micro-fulfillment cambrian explosion” by bhauth

LessWrong (30+ Karma)