At a recent event held at warehouse logistics specialists Knapp's headquarters in Austria, their latest development, the KiSoft VISION optically guided picking system, stole the show.  KiSoft VISION's integrated navigation system guides pickers to each required pick location using special software that superimposes virtual information, for example, row symbols, directly in the visual field of the operator via a head mounted display.

The software technology is termed, ‘augmented reality' and although still in the development stage, it is envisaged that the final tool will be similar in weight and design to regular glasses. At the pick location, the goods to be picked are optically highlighted for the picker and an integrated camera reads barcodes, lot numbers and serial numbers to confirm and pick without any further human intervention.

Craig Rollason, Head of Sales and Marketing said, "The automatic visual recognition means that accuracy is higher than with voice systems." In addition to 100% error free manual picking, KiSoft VISION allows new employees to be trained extremely quickly and to work flexibly. In the same manner as voice based systems, the system allows operators to keep both hands free. The components of KiSoft VISION are controlled via a warehouse software suite called KiSoft Flexible Picking and Knapp claim that integration of the software with existing operations will be both rapid and simple. Knapp point out that while picking accuracy is universally desired, increasingly it is also now becoming a legal requirement.

Veterinary wholesale within the UK already have a legal requirement for lot tracking but it is also expected to become law for the pharmaceutical wholesale industry in the not too distant future. Lot tracking is common in Eastern Europe and will become a legal requirement in France in 2011.