Pick-by vision on the rise: Easier into the future

"The information is provided in a targeted manner and the mental effort required during work is also reduced."

Holger Häring Head of Sales IGZ Ingenieurgesellschaft für logistische Informationssysteme mbH

Niche technology - or panacea?

At topsystem Systemhaus, they are a little more cautious. "Pick-by-vision is currently still a niche technology. Pick-by-vision solutions currently only meet the basic requirements of the logistics industry, such as the robustness of the hardware and support for multi-shift operation, to a limited extent," says Managing Director Tim Just. He sees the solution in the combination of pick-by-vision and pick-by-voice technology: "Process control is completely intuitive using voice. The frequency of visual overlays, which employees have to concentrate on when using a pure vision solution, is significantly reduced. We are convinced that Pick-by-Vision pays off, especially as an assistance system."

In general, however, all three providers believe that pick-by-vision is a good thing. One reason for this is that augmented reality is finding its way into intralogistics. This has its advantages: cumbersome handling, for example with slips of paper or mobile data collection devices, is no longer necessary. In addition, expensive warehouse technology is saved, information is provided in a targeted manner and the mental effort required during work is also reduced. Data glasses also help to prevent accidents, for example when operating forklift trucks, thanks to the ability to visualize warnings and safety instructions. "Hands-free technology is ideal for medium-sized product ranges with a medium data throughput. Particularly in online retail, where end-to-end process automation at intralogistics level is far from the norm, smart glasses can compensate for deficits that arise during time-consuming and error-prone manual handling," says IGZ expert Holger Häring.

Picavi sees the advantage in the coordination between people and technology: "Pick-by-Vision is perfectly tailored to people, who receive 80 percent of their sensory impressions each day through their eyes, and their working methods in the warehouse. The secondary field of vision provides workers with all the relevant information they need to complete their tasks in the warehouse quickly and accurately. In increasingly complex logistics environments, the pick-by-vision solution with its assisted reality approach is the ideal complement to human cognitive intelligence and flexibility. We think that pick-by-light will also continue to be used in niches in some projects," says Johanna Bellenberg.

"We are certain that pick-by-vision will be the picking technology of the future."

Johanna Bellenberg Director Marketing and Communications Picavi GmbH

Pick-by-vision therefore always comes into its own when it comes to a wide range of articles. "This applies in most cases in e-commerce, for example in the fashion industry. Customers expect their orders to be delivered quickly and reliably - the quality of order processing must be correspondingly high," explains Tim Just from topsystem. This is one of the decisive competitive requirements in e-commerce. If a customer receives the wrong item, this leads to an increased returns rate and dissatisfaction. Pick-by-vision can provide support here and significantly increase delivery quality by providing additional visual information, such as product images on the display of a smart watch or in the order picker's field of vision when using data glasses.

Data glasses weighing just 40 g

The future sends its regards: Pick-by-Vision from Picavi. Photo: Picavi

And which of these beautiful new things can the logistics manager buy and why should he do so? When implementing customer solutions, IGZ currently favors weight-balanced data glasses such as the Vuzix M300 or Epson Moverio BT-300, which can be connected directly to SAP without any middleware and, according to the company, are easy and flexible to use. At 40 grams, the weight of these smart glasses is extremely low, the company is convinced. Picavi's in-house development is continuing at a rapid pace. "In the first half of 2018, we presented a new user interface at the LogiMAT, CeMAT and Modex trade fairs, among others, as well as some hardware improvements, which mainly concerned the cable connection between the glasses and Picavi Power Control," explains Johanna Bellenberg. With this battery and control element, the glasses can be operated using five large buttons. The more robust cable connection has further improved everyday usability. The updated interface shows the operator even more clearly which tasks are pending and how to complete them in the best possible way.

"Just like Pick-by-Vision, Pick-by-Voice utilizes a central, cognitive ability of humans."

Tim Just Managing Director of topsystem Systemhaus GmbH

In contrast, topsystem proudly points to the Lydia Smart Assistant, with which process and article information can be shown on any smart device with a display. This makes it possible, for example, to attach tablets to means of transport (trolleys, forklifts, etc.) as an additional source of information. Important article and order information is displayed visually on the screen and can easily be called up as required. In addition to this innovation in the vision area, topsystem has also made some changes within the Lydia Voice Suite as a whole: in Release 8, speech recognition has been placed on a completely new technological basis, giving users even more options for future-proof voice warehousing. The technology works with neural networks for speech recognition and thus takes a decisive step towards artificial intelligence. The impression remains that Pick-by-Vision - whether used in combination with Pick-by-Voice or on its own - is an order picking technology with a great deal of development potential on the technical side.

Martin Schrüfer