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Walmart Running Into Trouble as Its Super-Expensive Robots Can’t Handle the Realities of Warehouse Work: It's an automation "arms race." (futurism.com)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 1 point 1 week ago (7 children)

My stand up Jack can go just as fast. The problem isn't top speed, it's acceleration and breaking. It's being able to rip around a warehouse building orders quickly and efficiently. A dude with a stand up Jack and a voxcoder can beat most robots.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (5 children)

    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

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (4 children)

    And it actually works? They can't even figure out how to make vending machines that don't cause a log-jam.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    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.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago (1 child)

    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).

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  • [–] 2 points 6 days 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

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  • [–] 1 point 1 week ago

    Ever notice that the top end speed of the non riding ones, the ones that you walk behind, us just a little beyond a comfortable walking pace? Always found that curious. Not quite running, but certainly not walking either. Hips would hurt at the end of a shift.

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