Walmart to Deploy Robotic Forklifts at Distribution Centers

Walmart has announced plans to roll out robotic forklifts across four of its distribution centers, in a new collaboration with Fox Robotics.

Under the partnership, 19 of Fox Robotics’ robotic forklifts will be deployed, following a 16-month pilot of the technology at Walmart’s Distribution Center 6020 in Brooksville, Florida.

The ‘FoxBot’ forklift uses an array of onboard cameras and lidar sensors to identify pallets and obstacles in real time, picking up and placing items in any orientation from trailers onto the shop floor.

Maurice Gray, Distribution Center 6020’s general manager, said in a blog post that the forklifts are a “perfect compliment” to the existing automated storage and retrieval system at the facility.

“Using AI-powered machine vision and dynamic planning, the forklifts safely and accurately unload pallets and ferry them to be inducted into the automated storage and retrieval system, which catalogs and stores our goods,” Gray said. 

Under the new system, human workers’ roles will shift from manually unloading pallets to managing and coordinating the most efficient way for the robots to unload trailers.

“Sort of like playing Tetris, our associates’ new role is becoming more like a game owner,” Gray said. “Instead of unloading the pallets manually, associates become conductors – considering the best, most efficient way to unload trailers based on their own experience.”

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