One of the most recognisable parts of the Ocado Smart Platform is our fleet of ‘Bots’ - the robots that sit at the heart of our efficient, automated grocery fulfilment. 

Across our automated warehouses, more than 17,000 of these bots work together to retrieve products and deliver them to be processed at manual or On-Grid Robotic Pick stations, ready to be added to a customer’s order. 

Collectively, our bots travel the equivalent of 153m kilometres in a year, moving millions of items to prepare orders for customers.

Our proprietary bots are a combination of years of experience in design and engineering and, combined with our AI orchestration software, enable speedy and accurate fulfilment at our automated warehouses. 

How do Ocado’s bots drive throughput?

Bots are robots that are responsible for lifting, lowering and moving storage totes across the grid of our Customer Fulfilment centres. Within each tote are products or groceries which are used to fulfil customer orders. 

Hundreds or even thousands of bots can work together to retrieve products and deliver them to where they are processed at pick stations to help to fulfil customer orders. They can either be on-grid robotic pick stations or manual pick stations.

The process happens in seconds and is repeated millions of times every week. 

Keeping our bots at peak performance

Every bot continuously generates operational and sensor data, creating a real-time view of its health. This data is securely streamed to the cloud, where we use AI for predictive maintenance. We identify patterns that could indicate wear or potential faults before they occur, and engineers are alerted when preventative maintenance is needed.

If a bot requires servicing, it can be seamlessly replaced, minimising downtime and keeping customer orders flowing. 

Why are our Ocado’s bots unique? 

One of the most distinctive features of our bots is their single-cell movement design - a concept we have exclusive rights to. Unlike other automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), our bots occupy just one cell on the grid at any given time - this is a unique, patented approach that maximises storage density while minimising traffic congestion. Combined with their rapid X/Y acceleration and high top speed, our bots deliver exceptional throughput to pick stations. A fleet of bots can present up to 1200 totes/hour per station.  

But it isn’t just the hardware that makes our bots unique. The key to an effective fulfilment system lies in the software that co-ordinates, evaluates and continually reevaluates efficient bot orchestration. 

Our AI orchestration software communicates with the bots x10 times a second to plan the movements of the fleet. And the plan is continually updated as new orders come in. Our control software is capable of processing this new plan so fast that it doesn’t miss a beat in performance - bots can have their mission changed mid-journey and will seamlessly change course to complete it. 

What’s more, by using advanced AI techniques, such as digital twins, our software can continually inform the best ways for the fleet to perform at its best - for example, our digital twin allows us to create and test “what if?” scenarios for our bots that allow us to experiment in the virtual world before making changes in the real one. For example, understanding the optimum number of bots and pick stations on the grid to drive higher site throughput, keep costs low and optimise site layouts. 

Benefits beyond the robot: The 600 Series Bot

Our latest 600 Series Bots are a step change for our automated storage and retrieval system. Significantly lighter than previous models - their  low mass is due to their lightweight chassis, which is a product of advanced design methodologies and additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing. 

The benefits extend beyond the robot. By reducing the load of the fleet on the grid, we can build lighter grids - and with lighter grids we can enable faster and more flexible site design and installation of OSP Customer Fulfilment Centres and Store Based Automation formats. 

As our engineers push the boundaries of additive manufacturing, they aren’t just building better robots - they're reimagining how fulfilment is designed, and deployed - including the costs and build times of new sites.

Alongside the bots, Ocado is also rolling out On-Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP) - a robotic arm installed directly on the grid that uses machine vision and AI to pick and pack orders without human touch - now live across 14 CFCs and multiple international partners.

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