Alert Innovation

Alert Innovation specializes in automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRSs) and automated each-picking systems (AEPSs). The company has received (or is pending receipt) for over 35 patents in these solution areas. Its robot, Alphabot, is used in micro-fulfillment centers. Alphabot is distinct from other robots as it can operate horizontally at the ground level and transform itself to vertically lift a payload, before again resuming horizontal operations at the elevated level. The robot can also work in any temperature zone. Further, Alphabot is powered by supercapacitors and does not use chemical batteries (such as lithium-ion) which removes the risk of batteries catching fire. Alphabot is capable of picking 800 orders per hour, far superior to the typical manual picking rate of 80 per hour. The company is planning to improve the picking rate further to 1,000 picks per hour in the future.

In August 2019, Alert Innovation partnered with Japanese company Murata Machinery to further develop and commercialize Alphabot, a material handling technology robotic solution. Alphabot’s first trial was at a Walmart store in Salem, New Hampshire, began March 2019 with full deployment beginning in January 2020. In August 2020, a second Walmart store (in Rogers, Arkansas) went live.

In October 2022, Alert Innovation entered into a definitive agreement with Walmart to be acquired. With the acquisition, Walmart will be bringing the technology in-house, enabling the company to speed up the deployment of MFCs. Alert Innovation will continue to operate under the Alert Innovation brand based in the Boston area.