Locus Robotics is an assisted picking solution, where autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) guide human operators to each pick location within the warehouse. Brightpick takes a different approach, using robots that can autonomously pick items from storage, with human operators stepping in only for exceptions at dedicated pick stations.

Brightpick is suited for businesses that prioritize labor and cost savings, higher throughput, storage density, and scalability. Locus Robotics is suited for businesses that value maximum flexibility and prefer to keep human operators central to the picking process, though this typically results in lower labor savings.

Brightpick can deliver higher labor savings because its robots are able to autonomously pick items from storage, reducing the need for human operators inside the storage area.

Assisted picking solutions like Locus still rely on people to pick and handle products, with collaborative robots (CoBots) focused on guiding operators and transporting items. Actual results depend on SKU mix, order profiles, and workflows.

It depends on the types of SKUs being handled. In some applications, such as pharmaceuticals, Brightpick Autopickers can pick 100% of SKUs and fully automate the process. In other cases, such as general merchandise, a small number of human pickers may still be required at Goods-to-Person stations.

Both Brightpick and Locus can automate fast-moving products. Brightpick offers a Fast Lane feature, where robots pull up to dedicated pallet or picking positions so human operators can retrieve items directly from pallets or cases and place them onto the robots.

Like Locus, Brightpick robots autonomously transport orders and inventory around the warehouse. In addition, Brightpick robots fully automate picking, order buffering, consolidation, replenishment, and putaway.

Locus Robotics improves picking accuracy by guiding human operators to the correct location and displaying the item to pick on a screen, though human errors can still occur. Brightpick eliminates human error entirely by automating the picking process using AI and 3D vision.

Both solutions are scalable, but in different ways. With Locus, adding more assisted picking AMRs is straightforward, but additional labor is required to increase throughput. Brightpick can be scaled by adding more robots and extending the storage area with standard shelving, without a proportional increase in labor.

Both Brightpick and Locus are relatively easy to install, operate safely around people, don’t require fixed navigation markers, and require minimal supporting infrastructure. Locus typically works with a company’s existing shelving or pallet storage. Brightpick requires the installation of simple shelving and transferring inventory into totes.

Brightpick and Locus offer similar throughput per robot. The difference is in labor requirements: Locus typically requires one human for every 3–4 robots, while Brightpick can average one human for every 10–20 robots. Actual results depend on SKU mix, order profiles, and workflows.

It depends on your priorities. Brightpick is suited for companies that want to maximize labor and cost savings through end-to-end robotic automation. Locus is suited for companies that want to boost human productivity with minimal process changes. Both solutions are flexible and relatively easy to install.