AutoStore has unveiled a series of new and upgraded hardware and software products aimed at reducing manual intervention in warehouse operations and moving its automated storage systems closer to "lights-out" fulfillment. The Fall 2026 announcement covers bin and case handling, robotic piece picking for smaller businesses, AI-assisted system design and investment planning, and predictive maintenance, building on the CubeVerse software platform and AutoStore Intelligence technology introduced earlier this year.
Key takeaways
- FlexBinsPort handles all standard AutoStore bin heights at a single workstation, with AutoStore estimating 10-15 percent better storage utilization and higher labor efficiency; release is scheduled for Q4 2026.
- AutoCase expands from Q1 2027 to support cases up to 600 x 400 mm, and multiple stations can work the same task group simultaneously for continuous case flow in palletizing and packaging. It is already in production at Nowaste Logistics in Sweden and Komplett in Norway.
- Pio Pal, offered as Robotics-as-a-Service, brings robotic piece picking to smaller businesses with packing throughput up to 540 order lines per hour for pre-picked orders; new pre-picking capabilities can raise performance up to three times without added labor. It operates at Norwegian apparel company Famme, with more deployments planned for Q1 2027.
- VersaAI gains automated item induction, workstation barcode scanning and robotic cycle counting for inventory validation.
- CubeExplore uses generative AI, operational benchmarks and comparable project data to model investment returns, while AutoStore Intelligence in CubeStudio adds an AI-powered design assistant. CubeFleet combines maintenance alerts, guidance and work-order creation using live CubeAnalytics data and predefined thresholds; AutoStore estimates it could cut unplanned downtime by 35-45 percent.
Chief product officer and president Parth Joshi framed the rollout as removing practical barriers one by one — reducing variability, manual handoffs and operational effort — rather than a single leap toward autonomy.
Source: Robotics & Automation News · Published 2026-10-14T18:19:04 · “AutoStore expands hardware and AI software portfolio in push toward autonomous fulfillment”