Autonomous-vehicle and drone technologies have been advancing steadily in recent years. The coronavirus pandemic, however, could serve to accelerate development of those innovations.

Autonomous mobile robots and other forms of automation are catching on quickly in the warehouse, as operators strive to become more efficient while coping with labor shortages, says Chris Anton, executive vice president of global sales with Snapfulfil.

A robot is just a collection of metal, plastic and rubber. What matters are the tasks and applications that it's given — and how it works alongside humans, says Guy Courtin, global alliances with 6 River Systems.

Brent Barcey, executive director of global sales with Fanuc, discusses the trends that are driving change in supply-chain management, including the skills gap and efforts to boost warehouse productivity.

We “play” games. Can we also do our work with them?

In a time of increasing customer demand, robotics technology is helping e-commerce sellers to manage forward inventory and next-day delivery, says Jim Serstad, vice president of product development with Tompkins Robotics.

Andrew Lockhart, vice president of business development with TGW Systems, describes how and why the retail landscape is changing — and what retailers can expect in the years to come.