Zebra Symmetry Fulfillment Picking In Aisle
by Matt Wicks | August 28, 2025

Zebra Technologies Recognized Again in the Gartner® Hype Cycle™ for Intralogistics Smart Robots and Drones

Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, has identified Zebra Technologies as a Sample Vendor in its Hype Cycle for Intralogistics Smart Robots and Drones, 2025 report. We’re proud to be recognized in both the Collaborative Aisle Picking Robots and Autonomous Mobile Robots (Transport) categories for the second year in a row and are making complimentary access to the research available for a limited time.

We believe this report helps supply chain technology leaders invest their time and resources in the right innovations at the right time. It provides expert insights and recommendations for maximizing value while maintaining an acceptable risk profile by:

  •   Evaluating the potential benefit of each innovation
  •   Providing detailed analysis for each technology, including market penetration, user advice and Sample Vendors

According to the report, released on July 21, 2025, “the market for mobile robots and drones is experiencing sustained demand and investment, with momentum projected to accelerate in the foreseeable future.” The most recent Gartner Supply Chain Technology User Wants and Needs Survey found continued strong interest in, and deployments of, robotics and automation, with 93% of the respondents saying they were investing, or planned to invest, in robotics over the next two years.

The report classifies Collaborative Aisle Picking Robots as a highly beneficial technology that will achieve widespread adoption in the next two to five years. According to the Gartner benefit rating scale, this innovation “enables new ways of performing horizontal or vertical processes that will result in significantly increased revenue or cost savings for an enterprise.”

Collaborative Aisle Picking Robots appears in the high benefit rating with two to five years of mainstream adoption, which in our view indicates that end users should prioritize investment in order to keep pace with their peers.

The report also provides the following assessment of the technology’s business impact:

Collaborative aisle picking robots are a lower-cost and lower-risk approach to partially automating the picking process. They have low upfront costs and can be operational quickly — within weeks or months — so they have rapid time to value. Also, because they generally operate with minimal, if any, changes to a company’s warehouse infrastructure, they are good alternatives for adding some automation to the existing facilities.

We feel the Hype Cycle for Intralogistics Smart Robots and Drones, 2025 report is an essential read for third-party logistics (3PL), distribution and fulfillment operations. As a result, we’re providing complimentary access to the research available for a limited time. In it, you’ll find detailed expert analysis, including why collaborative aisle picking robots are important, the real-world issues they address, an objective evaluation of potential obstacles and practical recommendations.

Access the research here.

Gartner, Hype Cycle for Intralogistics Smart Robots and Drones, Abdil Tunca, Federica Stufano, Simon Tunstall, 21 July 2025

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and HYPE CYCLE is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from Zebra Technologies.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

 

Topics
Blog, Field Operations, Manufacturing, Retail, Transportation and Logistics, Warehouse and Distribution, Automation, Technology Tools, Digitizing Workflows,
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