5 Billion Picks Later, Robots Rule

From 5 billion robot picks to lights-out warehouses — here’s how automation is taking over.

Author

Jacek Smoluch
April 28, 2025

In partnership with

Locus Robotics just crossed 5 billion picks.
Five. Billion. Picks.
While we were busy living our lives, fleets of robots were silently reshaping warehouses one box at a time.
And that’s just one move from the robotic world this week.
From machines binge-watching how-to videos to factories that no longer need lights, here’s your fast tour of what’s changing around us.
Stay sharp. Things are moving faster than ever.

Locus Robotics Hits 5 Billion Picks
5 billion picks. That's not a typo — Locus Robotics just officially crossed the 5,000,000,000 mark in automated warehouse operations.
Their army of AMRs have been silently working across warehouses worldwide, speeding up order fulfillment without needing a coffee break.
Each pick means one less sprint for a human across a 10,000 m² warehouse.
In a world where speed wins, this is not just impressive — it's a glimpse of logistics’ future.

Will warehouses soon be as quiet as libraries… except filled with robots?

KUKA’s New OS: Making Robots User-Friendly
KUKA has launched iiQKA.OS2 — a robot operating system that feels more like a game than a coding marathon. Visual programming, 3D views, virtual controllers... they want to turn industrial robotics into plug-and-play. No more “please hire a programmer” situations.

The goal? Make robots so easy to use that anyone who can follow IKEA instructions could probably set up a robotic arm.
It’s bold, it’s smart, and it might just open the market wider than ever.
Are we ready for robots as easy as smartphones?

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Cornell’s Robots Learn from How-To Videos
Forget endless coding — Cornell scientists taught robots to learn new tasks by simply watching how-to videos.
Their system, RHyME, can train a robot in just 30 minutes by showing it real-world YouTube-style footage.


We are not talking about deep, complicated learning here — it’s simple, fast, and shockingly effective.
Imagine robots scrolling through "How to fix your sink in 5 minutes" and actually doing it better than you.
When robots binge-watch, they don’t lose brain cells — they gain skills.
How long until they start subscribing to DIY channels?

AI Still Can’t Read a Room (Literally)
Turns out, even the most powerful AI models can’t fully grasp what's happening between humans in real life.
Johns Hopkins researchers found that while AI is great at spotting objects, it seriously struggles with dynamic social interactions.
Why? Because AI systems mimic static brain functions, but real human social skills need much deeper, real-time interpretation.
Translation: your awkward small talk at a party is still way too advanced for machines.
Maybe emotional intelligence is humanity's last, greatest advantage.
What do you think — are we still safe from robot therapists for now?


That’s it for this week’s roundup.
Robots are getting smarter, faster, and a little bit weirder — but one thing’s certain: the future is already quietly humming in the background.
Same time next week? Let’s see what else gets picked.

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