Locus unveils MODEX system

Locus Robotics used MODEX 2026 to launch Locus Array, a warehouse system built to pick, move, and replenish orders without human workers in the aisle. (modexshow.com) (therobotreport.com) The launch came during MODEX in Atlanta, held April 13-16, where Locus showed live demos of the new system on the show floor. Locus said deployments are already underway with early-access customers in North America. (modexshow.com) (robotics247.com) Locus Array combines three pieces that warehouses usually buy separately: a mobile robot that drives to inventory, a robotic arm that grabs items, and camera-based artificial intelligence that identifies products and guides the pick. Locus said that setup lets the machine complete end-to-end workflows without manual intervention. (therobotreport.com) (dcvelocity.com) The company said the system can reduce manual labor by up to 90% and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those claims target one of the biggest costs in fulfillment centers: paying workers to walk long distances through storage aisles to pick single items. (natlawreview.com) (bostonglobe.com) DHL Supply Chain is one of the first operators using Locus Array in live operations, extending a partnership with Locus that DHL says began in 2017. Sally Miller, DHL Supply Chain’s global chief information officer, said the rollout moves DHL “beyond traditional assisted picking” toward “high-density, autonomous fulfillment.” (robotics247.com) (dhl.com) (roboticstomorrow.com) That marks a shift for Locus itself. The company built its business on robots that worked alongside people and cut down walking time, but Array is aimed at removing people from repetitive aisle work altogether. (locusrobotics.com) (mobile-robots.com) It also reflects a broader change in warehouse automation. Instead of fixed conveyor systems that are expensive to install and hard to reconfigure, vendors are pushing mobile systems that can be added in phases and moved as order patterns change. (locusrobotics.com) (therobotreport.com) Locus said it plans to scale Array beyond North America into Europe and Asia-Pacific through its LocusONE software platform and robotics-as-a-service model, which charges customers as an operating expense instead of a large upfront equipment purchase. That pricing model has been one of the company’s main selling points in earlier deployments. (robotics247.com) (therobotreport.com) The open question is whether robots can handle the messy edge cases that still slow warehouses down, including odd-shaped items, damaged packaging, and mixed inventory. For now, Locus is betting that large logistics groups such as DHL will be the first place where near-lights-out fulfillment moves from trade-show demo to routine warehouse work. (bostonglobe.com) (therobotreport.com)