Expanding the world of voice

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 4/1/2006

Hoping to expand its offerings and cater to a variety of industries, voice technology provider Vocollect is expanding its market reach.

Vocollect has technology options that allow order pickers to use voice in a multitude of settings. In addition to the headsets that have been used in warehouses for some time, the company has introduced a handheld device and a wearable computer that direct picking throughout the warehousing environment.

"We are really working in an expanding market," says Don Lazzari, director of marketing for Vocollect. "These three very different applications allow our clients to choose the most appropriate platform for their specific work environment."

Making inroads in secure pharmaceutical supply chains, Vocollect's wearable computer is Bluetooth-enabled and features a reduced size.

The company is hoping to capitalize on the increasing use of RFID by offering its "talking RFID" platform. A belt-worn RFID reader directs the picker based on information garnered from RFID tag scans, says Lazzari. The technology is intended for active and passive tags and for Gen 1 and 2 tags. Lazzari says he is hopeful it will see significant expansion.