Robotic Random Access Warehouse

These robots are programmed to use warehouse space as efficiently as computers use memory. The robots instantly process online orders, and carry the contents of shelves to humans who pack boxes for shipping, so that the humans don't have to enter the floor of the warehouse. During their spare time, the robots reorganize the shelves so that the more commonly moved items are closer to the packers. The robots work in unison, according to optimized algorithms, getting all their direction from software, and thereby maximize the efficiency of the human packers.

Actually, the robots are doing the complex part; the humans are assisting the robots, not the other way around. The only thing the humans have to offer is manual dexterity. Soon, probably within a decade, this limitation of robots will surely be overcome, and the first purely robotic warehouses will come online.