AI-powered glasses and autonomous drones are helping visually impaired workers perform jobs on warehouse floors, as employers look for new ways to address staffing shortages.
Bosma Enterprises is using tools including Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) smart glasses, drones, magnification software and screen readers to help visually impaired employees handle warehouse tasks. More than half of Bosma’s workforce is blind, making it the largest employer of blind people in Indiana, according to the Business Insider report published Thursday.
Warehouses Face Worker Shortages
The warehousing industry is growing along with e-commerce, but employers are struggling to find enough workers. Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed 392,000 open jobs across transporting, warehousing and utilities in June, up 87,000 from a year earlier.
Rick Hermanns, CEO of staffing and talent management firm HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) , told Business Insider that demand from e-commerce, rather than labor availability, is driving the need for more workers.
Bosma CEO Jeff Mittman said the biggest challenge in hiring visually impaired workers is no longer technology. It is employers’ perception of what those workers can do.
Mittman is also blind and said visually impaired employees work across Bosma, from frontline roles to senior management.
Drones Handle Inventory
Bosma worked with Gather AI in 2024 to solve a specific problem: inventory counting.
Gather AI’s drones fly through warehouses without a pilot, photograph products and use AI to turn those images into inventory data. The system then compares the information with warehouse records. Its software can also work with iPad screen readers that convert text into speech.
The technology can cut the time needed for inventory checks. Eric Knight, a Bosma manufacturing manager, said the drones can complete inventory counts in minutes instead of days.
Knight, who became visually impaired after developing diabetic retinopathy, also uses Meta smart glasses at work. He can ask the glasses what is in front of him, with the device reading barcodes and SKUs aloud. He also uses the glasses to read and summarize documents.
Knight said the glasses can provide a live AI description of his surroundings, including objects such as forklifts and pallets, while helping with inventory accuracy, safety and confidence.
AI Glasses Move Into The Workplace
The technology reflects a broader push to bring AI-powered wearables into warehouses and other frontline jobs. Vuzix Corp. (NASDAQ:VUZI) CEO Paul Travers recently said companies are increasingly looking at smart glasses as a hands-free way to connect workers with AI.
Vuzix has seen interest from logistics, warehousing and manufacturing companies looking to use AI to assist workers while they perform physical jobs and automate digital tasks around them. Amazon has also used Vuzix smart glasses in fulfillment centers to support robotics, conveyors and automation equipment.
The focus is not necessarily on replacing frontline workers. Instead, smart glasses can let AI understand what a worker sees and says while providing information in real time.
Bosma wants the technology to be transferable to traditional workplaces as well. Mittman said workers operating its drones could perform the same task in warehouses across the U.S.
The broader use of AI wearables shows how the technology is moving beyond consumer gadgets into workplaces where it can help employees perform tasks that were once difficult or inaccessible.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
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