Technology
AI-powered drones and Meta glasses help visually impaired workers fill warehouse jobs
Amid ongoing labor shortages, organizations like Bosma Enterprises are adopting assistive technologies to enable blind employees to perform inventory and warehouse tasks.
The short version
- U.S. warehousing and transportation industries are facing significant labor shortages, with 392,000 open positions reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in June.
- Employers like Bosma Enterprises are hiring visually impaired workers and integrating assistive technologies, such as Gather AI's autonomous drones and Meta smart glasses.
- The technologies translate visual environments, barcodes, and documents into audible descriptions, enabling blind employees to perform inventory checks and navigate the floor.
- Advocates and company leaders hope demonstrating these transferable skills will encourage broader industry recruitment of disabled workers.
Key facts
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 392,000 open jobs in the warehousing and transportation sectors in June, up by 87,000 from the previous year.[Business Insider]
- Bosma Enterprises, Indiana's largest employer of blind people, has integrated AI-based assistive tools, including Meta glasses, Gather AI drones, screen readers, and magnification software, to employ visually impaired workers.[Business Insider]
- Gather AI's autonomous drones capture product photos and convert them into inventory data, which is then translated by iPad screen readers into spoken text for visually impaired operators.[Business Insider]
- Meta smart glasses are used by employees on the warehouse floor to read barcodes, summarize text, and audibly describe physical surroundings to help workers avoid obstacles like forklifts and pallets.[Business Insider]
- Other organizations utilizing visually impaired workers for supply chain and warehousing operations include IFB Solutions, LCI Industries, and Relay Resources.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- Advocates like Relay Resources CEO Jennifer Camota Luebke note that a major hurdle remains the industry's perception of blind workers' capabilities and a tendency to prioritize immediate software solutions over long-term workforce development.[Business Insider]