How long it will take for Amazon to create a single robot that can handle the vast majority of products is up for debate, but it’s a question of “when,” not “if.” And when the “when” becomes “now,” we’ll have an answer to one of the great unknowns of this era of automation: Will a new generation of warehouse robots that can grasp goods almost as well as human hands make work better or easier for the people doing these jobs? Or will the technological evolution eliminate the need for these workers and their jobs?Īn Amazon spokesperson said the company is betting on the latter, based on the way it has utilized other types of robots in its warehouses up to now. But the company is working on grasping solutions that would be able to handle any and every type of item that could fit inside an Amazon box, perhaps by combining a pincher attachment with a popular suction method, and having the system trained to know which “hand” should be used for which item. On a larger scale, the two-pound weight restriction would still allow the robot to grasp a selection of items making up about half of Amazon’s total product assortment. In testing, the robot was asked to handle hundreds of different items in this weight group and successfully grasped and moved around 95 percent of them, according to Amazon spokesman Xavier Van Chau. This robot prototype can only move items weighing less than two pounds. The video and the robotic system in it were created late last year in a controlled lab test by Amazon technologists. ![]() Preliminary tests also found that the robot damages certain products at a much lower rate than other manipulation robots Amazon has tested. The robot utilizes multiple cameras to help it “see” the assortment of items in front of it, as well as machine learning to help it decide the best way to pick up a given item, and motion-planning algorithms to help the robot navigate the crowded scene without bumping or damaging any of the goods. From a box of crayons to a container of what looks like garlic powder to a whisk broom, each item is grasped and moved with no human direction. At the rate it’s going in the video, Amazon says the robot could handle more than 1,000 items an hour, meaning it could pick and stow items at rates several times faster than a human worker could. But it can pick up a new item and deposit it on a metal chute every three seconds. The proof-of-concept machine uses an off-the-shelf metal pincher rather than some novel grasping device. ![]() The robotic arm in question does not look as futuristic as you might imagine. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthy workplaces for their employees.Are you a current or former Amazon employee with thoughts or tips on this topic? Please email Jason Del Rey at or His phone number and Signal number are available upon request by email. "As robotic applications continue to expand, recognising the safety and health needs of workers who operate and service these systems is vital," said deputy assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health Loren Sweatt, after the signing of a two-year alliance with the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) "to improve awareness of occupational hazards from traditional industrial robots and emerging robot technologies". In the most recent, a robot malfunctioned in an Amazon warehouse in New Jersey, tearing open an aerosol can and injuring dozens of workers in the vicinity.Īccording to the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there were 2.5 million industrial robots operating in factories worldwide by the end of last year. The roll-out follows a number of "incidents between robots and warehouse workers in the past". "What the vest allows the robots to do is detect the human from farther away and smartly update its travel plan to steer clear." "In the past, associates would mark out the grid of cells where they would be working in order to enable the robotic traffic planner to smartly route around that region," Amazon Robotics VP Brad Porter told TechCrunch. Built-in sensors alert Amazon's robotic systems to the wearer's presence, and they slow down to avoid collision. ![]() The vests, designed by Amazon Robotics, are aimed at keeping workers safe when they need to enter a space in order to fix a robotic system or retrieve fallen items. Online retail giant and logistics innovator Amazon is working on safety vests to protect its workers from AGVs and warehouse robots.Īccording to TechCrunch, Amazon last year began rolling out a new worker safety wearable to 25-plus sites.
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