Numina Group launches AI-driven AMR and voice picking automation

Warehouse process improvement design and end-to-end automation provider Numina Group announced the launch of Batchbot 2.0.

The company said its next-generation offering integrates its flagship software, Real-time Distribution Software (RDS-WES), with its advanced order fulfillment picking suite and Autonomous Mobile Robotics (AMR) Dispatcher Modules.

Numina Group said that Batchbot 2.0 can deliver high-performance AMR picking that can rival the performance of goods-to-person (GTP) systems at a fraction of the cost and complexity.

Bridging the manual operation and automation gap

As mid- to large-volume warehouses struggle with rising labor costs and demands for faster fulfillment, Numina Group said that Batchbot 2.0 offers a scalable alternative to high-CapEx material handling automation.

By integrating KUKA’s 5th Generation AI-infused AMRs with the RDS Voice Picking Suite, the optimized “human-in-the-loop” offering coordinates AMR and picking operator movement in zone-aisle, floor-based order picking.

Numina Group said the offering reduces over 20 minutes of wasted operator walk or forklift drive time per hour, allowing operators to spend more time picking. The company said that Batchbot 2’s picking productivity rate rivals the performance of far more expensive GTP and pallet shuttle storage and retrieval systems.

“Batchbot 2.0 represents best-in-class AMRs and people unified in a step-by-step move, pick and validate order fulfillment operation,” said Dan Hanrahan, CEO of Numina Group. “The solution is ideally suited for 3PLs, e-commerce and omnichannel manufacturing and industrial supply warehouses shipping both parcel and mixed product pallets for LTL and truckload shipments. A facility can invest in a modular system with as few as 7–10 AMRs, achieve ROI within 24 months and add voice picking users and AMRs as order volume grows.”

Updated software layer adds decision optimization

Numina Group said that the heart of Batchbot 2.0 is the latest software upgrade to the RDS-WES Order Orchestration Layer. The update adds decision optimization beyond the performance of the AMR fleet management system.

The company said that the RDS Dispatcher module, in combination with the Voice Picking Suite, employs a multi-parameter ML algorithm that evaluates pick operator positions to use voice commands to proactively move the closest available operators in real time to meet in-transit AMRs during the order pick mission.

Numina Group provided the following updates and potential benefits of Batchbot 2.0:

• Weighted distance-time cost algorithm: The system dynamically calculates the closest operator to an AMR destination, directing them via Pick-by-Voice in a “Meet Me” mode. This eliminates 20+ minutes of non-value-added travel per operator per hour.
• NVIDIA-Powered AMRs using lidar and vision: Utilizing KUKA’s 5th Gen AMRs, the system utilizes onboard NVIDIA processing for AI lidar and vision navigation. This reduces AMR pick mission times by over 20%.
• Multi-AMR interoperability: A unified software layer manages a mixed fleet of KUKA AMRs with payloads ranging from 250 kg to 3,000 kg, supporting everything from unit-pick carts to heavy pallet movements.
• Batchbot 2.0 API integration: The software integrates with major WMS and ERP systems, including Oracle, Oracle JDE, SAP, Microsoft D365, Dynamics, JDA, Manhattan, HighJump and others.