Robots for three-dimensional sortation

A method comprising:

• receiving one or more items in a dispensing receptacle of a robot at a first position;
• selecting a destination location for an order comprising the one or more items from a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of order fulfillment locations that are distributed across different rows at different heights;
• controlling movements of the robot to move the robot from the first position to a second position in a first plane that matches a position of the destination location in the first plane;
• aligning the dispensing receptacle with a height of the destination location in a second plane by activating a lift of the robot;
• and
• dispensing the one or more items from the dispensing receptacle to the destination location at one side of the robot.

A method comprising:

• receiving one or more items in a dispensing receptacle of a robot at a first position;
• receiving a first notification from the robot in response to the robot receiving the one or more items;
• controlling movements of the robot to move the robot from the first position to a second position in a first plane that matches a position of an assigned destination location in the first plane in response to receiving the first notification;
• aligning the dispensing receptacle with a height of the assigned destination location in a second plane by activating a lift of the robot;
• and
• dispensing the one or more items from the dispensing receptacle to the assigned destination location at one side of the robot.