A Robot for the Worst Job in the Warehouse: Boston Dynamics' Stretch can move 800 heavy boxes per hour

Abstract

As COVID-19 stresses global supply chains, the logistics industry is looking to automation to help keep workers safe and boost their efficiency. But there are many warehouse operations that don't lend themselves to traditional automation-namely, tasks where the inputs and outputs of a process aren't always well defined and can't be completely controlled. A new generation of robots with the intelligence and flexibility to handle the kind of variation that people take in stride is entering warehouse environments. A prime example is Stretch, a new robot from Boston Dynamics that can move heavy boxes where they need to go just as fast as an experienced warehouse worker.