Revolutionize Your Warehouse with AI Robotic Integration

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Robotic Bin Picking
   1. Artificial Intelligence-Based Vision
   2. Goods-to-Person System
   3. Adaptability to a Wide Variety of Products
   4. Covariant.ai as AI Powered Vision Partner
   5. Apparel Client Case Study
   6. Divided Bins and Other Capabilities
3. Key Criteria for Successful Robotic Bin Picking System
   1. Autonomy
   2. Speed
   3. Capability to Handle New Products
4. Choosing a Partner for Robotic Bin Picking
   1. Factors to Take into Account
   2. Turnkey Installation
   3. Integration into Warehouse Execution System
   4. Commercial Flexibility
   5. Demonstrations

Robotic Bin Picking: The Future of Warehouse Automation

As the world becomes increasingly automated, the use of robots in warehouses has become more and more common. One area where robots are particularly useful is in bin picking, where they can use artificial intelligence-based vision to pick individual items out of a bin and place them into an order tote. In this article, we will explore the world of robotic bin picking, including the technology behind it, the benefits it offers, and how to choose the right partner for your needs.

Artificial Intelligence-based Vision

One of the key advantages of robotic bin picking is the use of artificial intelligence-based vision. This technology has improved greatly over the past few years, opening up many doors to robotic integration in warehouses. Specifically, it is the autonomy that the artificial intelligence system gives the robot that allows it to handle a wide variety of SKUs automatically, with no prior knowledge of those SKUs.

Goods-to-Person System

When it comes to goods-to-person systems, the most important thing for success is adaptability to a wide variety of product sizes, shapes, geometries, and colors. This ensures that the system is as autonomous as possible and runs at a very high rate. At Bastion Solutions, we fully understand the value of integration and ensuring that the best technologies available on the market are leveraged in our solutions. That's why we have partnered with covariant.ai as our AI-powered vision partner.

Covariant.ai as AI Powered Vision Partner

We found that the covariant brain, which is what they call their AI platform, provided the fastest, most accurate, and integration-friendly solution that is available. With hundreds or maybe thousands of goods-to-person systems and picking ports being installed in the United States each year, there are many opportunities to deploy robotic cells in greenfield settings. However, integration and adaptability are obviously key for deploying robotic cells into existing installations.

Apparel Client Case Study

At Bastion Solutions, we have deployed a collaborative Fanuc robot that is powered by the covariant brain at an apparel client of ours. We Are picking clear Poly bags of apparel out of an autostore bin and placing those bags into an automated bagging system. We are achieving over 99% success on our first pick attempt. Poly bags are one of the more difficult types of products we could throw in front of this vision system, and the fact that we're picking at 99% or higher is incredible.

Divided Bins and Other Capabilities

One other item to note is that Bastion Solutions' robotic picking systems are fully capable of handling divided bins, so You can put more than one SKU in a bin just like you do today. Also, this technology is not just for bin picking. It also allows for robotic sortation, robotic put walls, robotic solder induction, among many other capabilities.

Key Criteria for Successful Robotic Bin Picking System

We've talked about some key criteria for what makes a robotic bin picking system successful, like speed and capability to handle new products. But the criteria that really makes a system successful is autonomy. If you have a robotic system that's picking at 500 pieces per hour and it's only 90% successful on each pick attempt, that means a person has to intervene roughly every 72 seconds, which makes it a sub-optimal solution. Now you increase that autonomy or success level to 99% and higher, that's when the justification becomes great.

Choosing a Partner for Robotic Bin Picking

So how do you choose a partner for robotic bin picking? Well, there are a lot of factors to take into account. Are you installing a brand new goods-to-person system and want robotic bin picking? Then you probably are going to want to select an integrator to deliver a turnkey installation. You're going to want to make sure that the system is as integrated as possible into the warehouse execution system, as that helps drive functionality and autonomy as previously discussed. Make sure that the partner has flexibility on the commercial side of things. Ask for demonstrations, not just 30 seconds or one-minute demonstrations, but a significant video duration.

At Bastion Solutions, we have a demonstration cell set up ready to test your product. Please visit our Website, bastionsolutions.com, and reach out if you would like to see how well our system can handle your product.

Highlights

• Robotic bin picking is a technology that uses artificial intelligence-based vision to pick individual items out of a bin and place them into an order tote.
• The adaptability of the system to a wide variety of product sizes, shapes, geometries, and colors is crucial for success.
• Covariant.ai is a leading AI-powered vision partner that provides the fastest, most accurate, and integration-friendly solution available.
• Bastion Solutions' robotic picking systems are fully capable of handling divided bins and offer many other capabilities beyond bin picking.
• Autonomy is the key criteria for a successful robotic bin picking system, with a 99% or higher success rate being the ideal.
• Choosing the right partner for robotic bin picking requires taking into account factors such as integration, commercial flexibility, and demonstrations.

FAQ

Q: What is robotic bin picking? A: Robotic bin picking is a technology that uses artificial intelligence-based vision to pick individual items out of a bin and place them into an order tote.

Q: What is the key to success in robotic bin picking? A: The key to success in robotic bin picking is the adaptability of the system to a wide variety of product sizes, shapes, geometries, and colors.

Q: What is Covariant.ai? A: Covariant.ai is a leading AI-powered vision partner that provides the fastest, most accurate, and integration-friendly solution available.

Q: What other capabilities do Bastion Solutions' robotic picking systems offer? A: Bastion Solutions' robotic picking systems are fully capable of handling divided bins and offer many other capabilities beyond bin picking, such as robotic sortation, robotic put walls, and robotic solder induction.

Q: What is the ideal success rate for a robotic bin picking system? A: The ideal success rate for a robotic bin picking system is 99% or higher.

Q: How do I choose the right partner for robotic bin picking? A: Choosing the right partner for robotic bin picking requires taking into account factors such as integration, commercial flexibility, and demonstrations.