Innovation and Warehouse Robotics

inVia Picker AMRs

At inVia Robotics, we’re continuously innovating to find greater efficiencies in warehouses. It’s at the core of who we are, and it’s the genesis of our name “innovation via robotics.” This keeps us ahead of the curve and that means our customers stay at the forefront of technology.

We always start by looking at how things are done today and then set out to find a smarter way to solve the problem. Some call it disruption. We see it as a change for the better. Looking back on the last decade of warehouse automation, there have been a lot of changes. It began with the first generation of mobile robots. They moved entire shelves to a person at a pick station.

This was certainly a change for the better. However, we knew we could create an even more practical and efficient way to fulfill orders. So, we developed inVia Runner. It employed some of the same technology innovations, such as accurately identifying where goods were located in the warehouse, but we turned things around and brought the people to the shelves—guided by a robot.

inVia Runner

inVia Runner

That change eliminated the costly infrastructure modifications required to move entire shelves. But in the process, we lost the benefits of moving goods through the warehouse autonomously. That piece of the puzzle eliminates time wasted walking and, therefore, dramatically increases productivity. 

Back to the drawing board. 

Now we knew the solution to the problem we needed to solve: a system that reduces the total cost (and burden) of ownership and dramatically increases productivity. 

So, we developed inVia Picker. The efficiency of the first generation of mobile robots was still there. We were moving goods autonomously from the warehouse to the pick station. But our patented system moved a single tote instead of an entire shelf, using suction cups to retrieve totes and a scissor lift to reach items on different shelf heights. 

inVia Picker

inVia Picker

All of this required zero infrastructure changes. Our robots could work with existing shelves, existing totes, and existing floors. That eliminated a big expense in both money and time for our customers, one that hampered the adoption of the previous generation of mobile automation. 

Lower cost. Higher throughput. Problem solved…at least for today.

At inVia, we know there is always a better way, and we are relentlessly driven to find it. Our mindset of using technology to continuously improve upon the status quo is what sets us apart. And it’s why our customers rely on us to keep them ahead of the innovation curve. To learn more about how inVia’s warehouse automation system helps our customers maximize efficiency, see what they say in their own words.