(gentle music) (Charu Thomas) The US Bureau of Labor
and Statistics
approximates that 54% of warehouse operators
turn over every single year
because the job is just so hard.
(Tanner Green) You're balancing a lot of papers,
a lot of labels, (device beeping)
a handheld device from the early 2000s.
(device beeping)
(Brian Clark) There's people that are coming in in
a warehouse environment
that is hot or it's cold,
and you're lifting heavy things.
So it's already hard enough,
and we're finding ways through software
to make that as easy as possible.
(Tanner) Essentially with OX, you get a display.
That display exists to walk you through what you need to do
step-by-step throughout your day.
We've really doubled down on the idea that
if you can really empower people with not only the context
but the knowledge that they need to perform these jobs,
that people will do them.
(inspirational music)
(upbeat guitar music)
(kettle whistling)
(Charu) I got some really good news this morning
that we finally closed a deal that we've been working on
for a really long time.
I'm so proud.
I literally have been,
okay, let just message them that.
Guys!
I'm so proud.
You know, it's really funny.
Before I moved to northwest Arkansas,
I knew nothing about the region.
I'd never really heard about it.
All I knew was that there was an accelerator program.
And there was a very unique supply chain and retail focus
of the program that made it pretty attractive.
Other than that, I pretty much had no idea what to expect.
So I was pretty pleasantly surprised
when I showed up and it was a beautiful,
incredible ecosystem.
I was working at the backend supply chain
for McDonald's North America.
And I was basically building the business case
for automated storage and retrieval systems
and automated palletizing systems.
And one of the big outcomes I realized was
fixed mechanical infrastructure is really capital intensive.
So it only makes sense if you have the volume for it.
It kind of prompted me to think about
lower infrastructure methods for automation.
Good morning, everybody.
My name is Charu Thomas and I am the founder of Oculogx.
We are building an augmented reality platform
that makes order picking for personal grocery shoppers
40% faster and 80% more accurate.
So OX provides tools to improve manual work
in facilities like warehouses, micro fulfillment centers,
and stores.
It's not just smart glasses that we support
but we support mobile computers, wrist-worn, ring scanners,
and a variety of different hardware options. (Brian) So human-centered automation is really taking
the human and building everything around them.
Really focusing on what the task at hand is
and what their needs are.
It just removes all the points of friction
that would be in a normal job.
(Tanner) Human-centered automation was first applied
when training pilots how to fly a plane.
(jet engine roaring)
And what was realized is that flying a plane is really hard.
And there's so much knowledge that you have to memorize.
And so human-centered automation was first deployed.
And it was essentially a system of intelligent displays
that could communicate to a jet pilot,
the information that they need to know.
And so a lot of those same principles and same applications
are being applied through our system.
When you're a frontline operator
and you need to figure out how to do a task,
it's not, "Hey, let me go find this one person."
Or, "Let me surf through my papers
to find the best way to do it."
But OX as a system can deliver an intelligent display
that can help answer the questions you might have
and help guide you in the direction
that you need to go with as much detail as possible.
(Brian) So think about any task in the supply chain.
We take that task and find ways to automate it
through our software platform.
And the result's something really cool.
It's the frontline operator having
a user interface that's a lot more efficient to use.
(gentle guitar music)
(Charu) I feel like I learned so much every single day,
which is one of the best things about being a founder.
And it's one of the best experiences
I could possibly imagine.
That looks so good.
Dude, nice. (hands clapping)
- Today, we're in warehouses.
You know, I would love to imagine a future where we're in,
you know, manufacturing and construction.
And really there's
any areas where work needs to be performed.
(gentle guitar music)
(Charu) You guys mind gathering around?
Today, we signed our biggest customer ever.
So congratulations to all of you.
Cheers! (applauding and cheering)
(cork popping) (laughing and cheering)
Okay, we need some cups.
Eventually, we wanna really be able to support operators
in their lives in general,
whether that's through economic empowerment,
through better education and training.
There's a variety of different approaches,
but that's really why we exist.
(funky music)