Robust.AI announces deployment at e-commerce fulfillment provider ShipLab

Originally featured on Robotics 24/7 by Robotics 24/7 Staff

Robust.AI, a provider of AI-driven warehouse automation, announced a partnership with ShipLab, a San Diego-area e-commerce fulfillment and third-party logistics provider, to deploy Carter collaborative mobile robots at ShipLab's Vista, Calif., facility.

The company said that the deployment follows a phased model designed to let ShipLab validate performance at each stage before expanding, with an initial go-live planned for July 2026.

Robust.AI and ShipLab deployment details

Robust.AI said that the partnership begins with a pilot in which Carter will automate tote transport between fulfillment and packing stations. Upon successful validation, the deployment will expand to a full fleet of Carter robots operating in a broader set of applications across ShipLab’s picking operation. Robust.AI said that this phased approach, structured as a "Crawl, Walk, Run" model, allows ShipLab to build operational confidence incrementally, with RaaS payments deferred at each phase until performance targets are jointly confirmed.

"Every technology investment we make has to earn its place, and that means proving it works in our environment before we commit to scaling it," said Jake Brenner, CEO, ShipLab. "The Crawl, Walk, Run model Robust.AI brought to the table was the right approach for us. We get to validate performance at each step, we only pay when the system delivers, and we don’t have to touch our existing operation to make it work. For a growth-focused business like ours, that combination removes the risk that usually holds operators back from automation."

Robust.AI said that Carter is a collaborative mobile robot designed to work alongside warehouse associates without requiring changes to existing facility infrastructure. The company said that Carter's software-defined functionality allows operations to evolve and expand from simple applications like point-to-point transport to more sophisticated ones like fully integrated order picking, all using the same fleet. Additionally, Robust.AI said that its performance-based RaaS model ensures customers only pay once the system is operational and delivering results.

"ShipLab has built a reputation for accountability and speed that the most demanding e-commerce brands rely on. E-commerce fulfillment moves fast, and the teams running it need automation that keeps up without getting in the way," said Anthony Jules, co-founder and CEO of Robust.AI, and a member of the Robotics 24/7 Executive Advisory Board. "The phased approach we designed reflects our shared belief that automation should prove its value before you scale it, and that is precisely what Carter was built to do."