The technology industry has been talking about automation and the future of work for years, and society has already seen some major shifts in the workplace as a result of automation and robotics technologies. For instance, in 1900, more than 11 million people were employed in agriculture in the U.S.. In 2015, just more than 2 million Americans were employed in agriculture. The shift away from an agriculture economy in the U.S. has happened alongside the rise of machines that increase productivity in sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and supply chain logistics.
A new, highly automated fulfillment center in the Netherlands demonstrates a new benchmark in automated food distribution and grocery delivery. Dutch startup Picnic is an online supermarket that offers free delivery and has been a big factor in boosting the online grocery shopping boom in that country, providing groceries to more than 150,000 families each week in more than 130 cities. Customers must place orders through Picnic’s app. Orders placed before 10 PM receive their fresh, chilled, and frozen food the next day. Picnic says all groceries, including fruit, vegetables, meat, and dry goods, are delivered by small electric vans without emissions.
At the end of last year, the company raised 250 million euros in funding to develop a new automated distribution center. The latest distribution center is now a reality, with more than 40,000 square meters of floor space with about 40 aisles and more than 200,000 storage locations. Picnic partnered with TGW Logistics Group, a material handling solutions provider, to create its fully robotized, solar panel-powered fulfillment center, which includes three temperature zones (ambient, chilled, and frozen) and a shuttle system. It leverages robotic and automation technologies like TGW FlashPick, a smart order fulfillment system, as well as a TGW KingDrive conveyor network and TGW PickCenter One picking workstations.
Robots are also helping grocery stores out during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, as part of a beta test with Starship, Broad Branch Market in Washington, D.C., is using autonomous robots to deliver groceries for free to patrons within a mile of the store. Another small grocery store in Ann Arbor, Mich., The Produce Station, has partnered with Refraction AI during the pandemic to offer contactless grocery delivery to customers within three miles of the store using REV-1 delivery robots.
Robotics and automation adoption may be boosted by the pandemic, but retail companies like Walmart were using AI (artificial intelligence)-powered robotics solutions long before the six-foot-distance rule. Last year, the retail giant expanded its relationship with AI and robotics company Brain Corp to provide BrainOS tech for an additional 1,500 robotic floor cleaners. The expansion supports Walmart’s autonomous cleaning initiative called Auto-C, which is meant to free up associates’ time not replace them. Brain Corp also offers a proof-of-concept delivery robot powered by its BrainOS technology.
Automation is certainly changing the workforce and will continue to do so in the future. In logistics, retail, agriculture, and many other places within the food-distribution supply chain, robots and AI-powered solutions are automating tasks, making them more efficient and precise. Like other work revolutions of the past, Americans will repurpose themselves accordingly in the workforce.
Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #digitaltransformation #machinelearning #futureofwork #automation #robotics #robots #futureoffood #agriculture