Soft Robotics has announced what it claims is the first robotic solution specifically designed for the handling of product returns.
The SuperPick Polybag Picking System is an end-to-end robotic material handling solution providing e-commerce operations the ability to automate the handling, scanning and loading of outbound orders and returns of polybagged items.
The solution combines 3D vision with gripping technology to handle items including those with the highest degree of variability, said Soft Robotics.
The turnkey system is designed for order fulfilment and returns processing of items in polybags or self-sealing mailer bags.
According to Soft Robotics, these malleable plastic bags have become the preferred packaging method in e-commerce due to the lower shipping costs versus cardboard boxes.
However, the company claims that handling the variety and the nature of unstructured items in polybags is something that conventional automation has not yet been able to reliably address.
Thus, the SuperPick Polybag system is designed t0 handle “a multitude of SKUs without re-programming or time-consuming, complex training”, said the company.
Carl Vause, CEO of Soft Robotics, added: “Reverse logistics and returns handling have become the centre of attention for many e-commerce companies as recent studies have shown that 41% of people who purchase items online do so with the intention of returning at least part of their order.
“This problem is only going to get worse as consumers continue to increase their volume of online shopping each year.
“We’ve introduced an innovative automation solution that not only addresses the complexity and variability in the unstructured environment of the reverse flow of merchandise, but also is an end-to-end solution for the full order fulfilment process.”
