Jan Zizka, the co-founder and CEO of Brightpick, with two Autopickers. | Source: Brightpick
For decades, fully automated “lights-out” warehouses have captured our imagination, but the reality remained out of reach. Recent advances in robotics and AI are changing that, making lights-out execution viable in specific workflows and environments, according to Brightpick.
Progress will be incremental, acknowledged Jan Zizka, co-founder and CEO of Brightpick. Today, the most effective approach is hybrid: Robots handle the bulk of repetitive work, while humans step in only when needed. This model already supports partial lights-out operations—such as running an unsupervised night shift while managing peak volumes and exceptions during the day.
The challenge is not just technical, but economic, Zizka explained. Automating the final 10% to 20% of workflows, where edge cases and judgment calls live, is disproportionately complex and costly. Smart operators focus automation where return on investment (ROI) is strongest, preserve human flexibility where it adds the most value, and steadily reduce the exception set as technology and economics improve.
At the Robotics Summit & Expo, which takes place on May 27 and 28 in Boston, Zizka will lead the talk “When Robots Don’t Sleep: The Path Toward Lights-Out Warehouses.”
He will outline a practical roadmap to lights-out warehouse operations: where it works today, how to expand it safely and profitably, and what it takes to go fully lights-out. The session will be at 2:45 p.m. ET on Day 1 of the summit.
More about Zizka and Brightpick
A technology visionary, Dr. Jan Zizka sets Brightpick’s strategy and is closely involved in developing new robotic and AI technologies. He has filed more than 20 patents ranging from 3D sensing methods to mobile robotics and is a recognized expert in the fields of AI, machine vision, and mobile manipulation.
Before co-founding Brightpick, Zizka co-founded and led Photoneo, a leader in 3D vision and robotic software, which was acquired by Zebra Technologies in 2024. He earned a Ph.D. in computer vision from Comenius University, and he also conducted research on computational cameras and optics at MIT.
Spun off from machine vision provider Photoneo in 2021, Brightpick said its AI robots enable warehouses of any size to automate order picking, buffering, consolidation, dispatch, and stock replenishment. The Austin, Texas-based company said Autopicker, which won a 2024 RBR50 Robotics Innovation Award, takes just weeks to deploy and allows warehouse operators to keep labor to a minimum.
Register for the Robotics Summit & Expo today
Registration is now open for the Robotics Summit & Expo, the world’s leading technical event for commercial robotics developers. The summit is produced by The Robot Report and WTWH Media.
The show will have more than 50 sessions in tracks on AI, design and development, enabling technologies, healthcare, and logistics. The Engineering Theater on the show floor will also feature presentations by industry experts.
More than 70 speakers are confirmed from companies such as Fictiv, Harmonic Drive, maxon, PickNik Robotics, RealSense, Robust AI, Tesla, Toyota Research Institute, and more.
The Robotics Summit will also feature a number of networking opportunities. They include a Mix & Mingle Networking Reception after the first day of the show and the ticketed RBR50 Awards Dinner.
The Robotics Summit & Expo is co-located with DeviceTalks Boston, which focuses on medical devices.
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