A robot that replaces humans in an Amazon warehouse in the United States. This is an image that we will undoubtedly have to get used to. The online sales giant actually shared images of humanoid robots preparing orders in Seattle on October 18. These android robots support employees in their daily tasks in the warehouse, which is not necessarily to the taste of the company’s employees, who are worried about their future.
The humanoid robot in question is called Digit. It was developed by Agility Robotics, one of the companies in which Amazon has invested, and its mission is to manage repetitive and restrictive tasks. In a press release, Amazon specifies that now more than 750,000 robots work in collaboration with its employees on a daily basis, managing highly repetitive tasks. “They free up employees to better meet the needs of our customers“, specifies the group. Sequoia is the name of the technology now operational in a fulfillment center of the group in Houston, Texas.
Saving time for deliveries
“Sequoia allows us to identify and store inventory we receive in our fulfillment centers up to 75% faster than today. This means we can list items on Amazon.com faster, which benefits both sellers and customers“, he adds. It is not yet an armada of humanoid robots but rather mobile robots, gantry systems, robotic arms and ergonomic workstations for employees.
Alongside Sequoia, Amazon Robotics is also testing mobile manipulation solutions at its robotics research and development site south of Seattle. These are mobile robots that can move while grasping and manipulating objects, he explains, like Digit. His mission ? “Help employees recycle bins, a highly repetitive process that involves picking up and moving empty bins once the inventory has been completely removed“. Amazon wants to be reassuring by showing that these humanoid robots will not replace employees.
“Over the past ten years, we have deployed hundreds of thousands of robotic systems while creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs across our operations. This includes 700 categories of new job types, in skilled roles, that did not previously exist within the company“This is not necessarily the opinion of the group’s employees.”Amazon automation is a frantic race to cut jobs“, Stuart Richards, a member of the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allies Union (GMB Union), told the BBC. “We’ve already seen hundreds of jobs disappear in distribution centers“.
Sources: Amazon, BFMTV