Logistics is one area where robots and automation are rapidly finding new homes, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s (BABA.US; 9988.HK) Cainiao logistics unit has been helping to lead that charge. Robots of all shapes, sizes and abilities are finding their way into the vast warehouse networks operated by Cainiao and its peers, doing everything from stacking newly arrived goods to picking out products to fill individual orders.
The latest model in Cainiao’s growing robot army is ZeeBot, which it recently began deploying in China, with plans to expand to the rest of its global network. Its standout feature is its climbing ability, which allows it to move not only on the ground but also vertically within the warehouse to store and retrieve goods, breaking away from the traditional split between ground transportation and vertical storage operations in automated warehouses.
The large, pallet-style robot can wander throughout Cainiao’s warehouses, capable of moving large containers to where they’re needed. Bi Jianghua, Cainiao vice president and general manager of its logistics technology division, talked with Bamboo Works about ZeeBot’s new place in the company’s work environments. He also spoke about broader automation trends in logistics, and a future of “dark warehouses” where everything is automated.