Drones and Meta Glasses Simplify Inventory for the Blind

At Bosma Enterprises, blind employees are now conducting inventories using Gather AI drones and Meta glasses. With 392,000 job openings reported in June 2023, management is betting on AI-based assistive tools and their transferability to any warehouse. The system, described by Gather AI and Bosma teams, combines autonomous flights, computer vision, and screen readers on iPads. Industry leaders believe that the shortage is primarily due to the demand from e-commerce and overly short-term HR strategies.

Bosma Aims for Transferable Skills and Approaches Employers

Jeff Mittman wants the chosen systems to enable employees to acquire skills that can be used in any organization, not just with an employer specializing in disability. According to him, the Meta glasses can be used anywhere, as Gather's software is hardware-independent, and many accessibility features are already available on iPads. He claims that his teams operating the drones could do so in any warehouse across the United States. Jennifer Camota Luebke believes that many employers are still unaware that blind workers can perform the same functions as others. Rick Hermanns observes that employers often seek "instant software solutions" instead of developing the workforce, an approach he believes harms businesses and their communities. Bosma takes a different approach: when an employee is called elsewhere, Mittman's team goes on-site to demonstrate how the assistive technologies work; employers often hire an initial employee, see positive results, and then recruit more. Mittman adds that these teams are very loyal and notes that more than half of Bosma's workforce is blind, with the company presenting itself as the largest employer of blind individuals in Indiana. He emphasizes that the main obstacle is no longer technology, but the perception of these employees' capabilities.

Autonomous Drones That Read Shelves and Communicate with Operators

In 2024, Bosma did not yet have a solution to assign inventory counting to visually impaired employees, a task that is primarily visual according to Sankalp Arora, CEO and co-founder of Gather AI. The company then reached out to Gather AI and adopted its drone vision technology. The devices fly autonomously within the warehouse, take photos of products, convert the images into inventory data via AI, and then compare this data to the recording system. The interface combines with screen readers on iPads that convert text to speech, indicating to operators what they have in front of them. Eric Knight reports that the drones accomplish in minutes an inventory that previously took days. According to management, this drone vision supports inventories and enhances both operational efficiency and team confidence.

Staffing Shortage: 392,000 Open Positions in June, +87,000 Year-on-Year

The warehousing sector is growing with the rise of online sales but suffers from a lack of personnel. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 392,000 jobs were vacant in warehousing and transportation in June, an increase of 87,000 from a year earlier. Rick Hermanns, CEO of HireQuest, attributes this tension primarily to the demand from e-commerce rather than the availability of the workforce. In this context, employers need to find other ways to attract and retain employees, such as reaching out to previously untapped talent pools, according to Jeff Mittman. Bosma provides warehouse workers and deploys AI-based assistive technologies—Meta glasses, magnification software, drones, and screen readers—to make positions accessible to visually impaired employees. In June 2023, 392,000 positions were reported as vacant; Bosma claims to use AI to empower these workers in warehousing roles.

In the Aisle: What Eric Knight's Glasses See and Hear

As the manufacturing manager at Bosma, Eric Knight lost his sight due to diabetic retinopathy and discovered the company through his ophthalmologist. He now uses Meta glasses daily. Initially skeptical, he says he changed his mind after trying them out. By voice command, he can read barcodes or SKUs and relies on the glasses to read and summarize documents. The interface provides a live AI view of his surroundings, indicating, for example, a forklift to the right or pallets to the left. Knight reports that these glasses help him verify inventory accuracy, avoid tripping, and gain confidence.

Other Organizations Employ Blind Teams in Warehousing

Beyond Bosma, IFB Solutions and LCI Industries also offer warehousing and broader supply chain services while employing blind individuals.