# Stow: Robotic Packing of Items into Fabric Pods

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.04572 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.04572/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 7 May 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Visual Foresight for Robotic Stow: A Diffusion-Based World Model from Sparse Snapshots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.13347/) (2026)
- [Learning 3D Affordances for Blade Insertion in Cluttered Stowing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.02549/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper presents a compliant manipulation system capable of placing items onto densely packed shelves. The wide diversity of items and strict business requirements for high producing rates and low defect generation have prohibited warehouse robotics from performing this task. Our innovations in hardware, perception, decision-making, motion planning, and control have enabled this system to perform over 500,000 stows in a large e-commerce fulfillment center. The system achieves human levels of packing density and speed while prioritizing work on overhead shelves to enhance the safety of humans working alongside the robots.