With new advances in robotics and artificial intelligence, virtually every player in the supply chain is looking to some form of automation. Walmart is testing grocery-picking robots. Ryder partnered with Fetch Robotics to install drones, sensors and wearable technology in its warehouses. And in its latest earnings call, DHL said it was "seeing about 25% productivity improvement" from robotics. Automation, the companies bet, can increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve performance.

Research firm, IDC, has released its annual report on the development of robots: IDC FutureScape Robotics 2018 Predictions. The report presents predictions by IDC's robotics team as to the development of robotics from 2018 through 2021. The development and deployment of robotics in a variety of industries has expanded in 2017. The rapid convergence of robotics and artificial intelligence technologies has accelerated the development of next-generation intelligent robots for industrial, commercial, and consumer applications. The analysts found a number of patterns in robot development and deployment.

There are different robotic applications suitable for a variety of warehouse environments. The use of robotics is expanding in a number of business environments, but warehouses seem especially well suited to the adoption of autonomous machines of various types. "Automation in the warehouse has been something that has been going on for quite some time now, but when we think about robotics, it is not the same thing as automation," said John Santagate, research manager, supply chain at International Data Corp., (IDC). In hospitals around the world, surgeons are getting help from new robotic assistants. "Automation takes a repetitive tasks and processes and seeks to streamline the tasks and processes to be completed by machinery such as conveyors," Santagate said.