A method of training a robot to pick a plurality of articles includes determining an identity of an article and determining if the article has a uniform distribution of weight. If the article has a uniform distribution of weight, a three-dimensional (3D) model of the article is created and stored in a database record associated with the identity. If the article does not have a uniform distribution of weight, a 3D model is created, two-dimensional (2D) images of each side of the article are created, and a 3D center of gravity of the article is determined. The 3D model, the 2D images, and the 3D center of gravity of the article are stored in a database record associated with the identity of the article.