Related Posts

• Kiva's Robots Hit Their Stride...er, Slide
• Jackpot Rewards CEO Jim Miller Explains (Mostly) the Company's About-Face on Weekly $1 Million Prizes
• Jackpot Rewards Drops Guaranteed $1 Million Weekly Prize; Explanation Fuzzy
• Jackpot Rewards: An Online "Economic Engine for the Common Good"
• Stocking Mock Frocks, Clocks, and Crockpots with RockBlocks

Robotics, consumer, kiva systems

Zappos Will Try Kiva’s Robots

Wade Roush 2/25/08 2:58 pm

Zappos.com, the Las Vegas-based online purveyor of shoes, handbags, and other fashion accessories, said today that will install a “mobile fulfillment system” from Woburn, MA-based Kiva Systems at its Shephersdville, KY facility. As we wrote last October, Kiva deploys fleet of squat wheeled robots across a warehouse with barcode-based navigational cues inscribed on the floor; the robots pick up mobile shelving units and bring them to stationary human workers, who can then grab the items required for each order and sort them into boxes. Zappos said it chose Kiva because it needed a fulfillment system that could be scaled up or down as required and easily transplanted to a new facility.

Permalink | Share |

Why is this story so short? Because it's a news brief from our News Xpress section, which brings you quick takes on the latest Boston-area biz/tech news as it unfolds throughout the day.

Where do I find more in-depth news and analysis about the business of technology in the Boston area? We've got plenty of that right on our home page and in our archives.

Who the heck are the Xconomists mentioned on your homepage? They're an elite group of movers and shakers in the local tech scene who've generously agreed to share their insights and opinions with Xconomy's readers. Here's a complete list of them; to read their posts, have a look here and here.

Come to think of it, what does "Xconomy" mean in the first place? Xconomy is a word we made up to evoke the exponential economy—the realm of business and innovation characterized by exponential technological growth and responsible for an increasing share of productivity and overall economic growth. (Not everybody likes the name, by the way. We're okay with that.) We're a small group of professional journalists dedicated to bringing you the most important news about New England's role in the exponential economy. More on our mission and team here.