RightHand Robotics Signs Multi-Year Agreement with Staples to Deploy AI-Powered Picking Robots

RightHand Robotics, a leader in autonomous AI robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, has announced a multi-year agreement with Staples Inc., America’s leader in workspace products and solutions. The agreement allows Staples to deploy and install the company’s RightPick item-handling system to automate operations for higher service levels and next-day delivery to over 98% of the U.S.

Managing an industry-leading distribution and fulfillment network with various levels of AI and automation, Staples has long been an innovator in the U.S. market. “We have always valued automation, and we see it as the future of eCommerce picking,” said Amit Kalra, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Staples. “After evaluating other solutions, the RightPick system met our high performance and reliability standards, picking items with different shapes, packaging, sizes, and weight.”

The RightPick system is an autonomous item-handling robot powered by advanced hardware, sensor suite, and RightPick AI software designed for a wide range of end-to-end warehouse tasks. Through close collaboration with Staples, RightHand Robotics developed new features that have nearly doubled the range of items that a RightPick station can handle while reducing the number of required interventions by 80%. These advancements have far-reaching implications beyond the Staples brand, benefiting a wide range of industries and applications, RightHand noted. 

Brian Owen, CEO of RightHand Robotics:

“Our RightPick system sets a new standard in the flexibility, autonomy, and reliability of warehouse robotics. We're thrilled that Staples recognized the benefits of using our technology to further enhance their automation strategy. It's great to team up with an established industry leader to optimize their fulfillment operations.”

This YouTube video from Staples shows the systems being leveraged in its new fulfillment center concept. A range of technologies can be seen, including use of autonomous, tote-handling mobile robots, wearable data software and devices from ProGlove, and RightHand's RightPick system, which can be seen doing some autonomous item picking and induction into shipping cartons.

Staples isn't saying how many of its fulfillment centers the solution set will be deployed in, though it does foresee the technology it is putting in as eventually automating operations for over 98% of its U.S. distribution. The first systems are already live, Modern has learned, and while the agreement is only now being made public, RightHand Robotics and Staples have been working closely together for more than a year on optimizing the robotic picking processes Staples is using.