Amazon has unveiled in London a whole series of innovations in how it applies robotics to its logistics operations. In this way, the company aims to bring the latest advances in fields such as AI to this area, enabling it to accelerate and improve the profitability of operations related to receiving, sorting, and handling packages within its facilities.
These new robots are part of the company’s plan to invest more than €10 billion in European fulfillment centers and expand its workforce by 25,000 people in the coming years, while also boosting roles related to maintenance and engineering.
A long, long time ago (2012), in a place far, far away (California), Amazon first deployed the Kiva Robots, devices that looked like orange Roombas pumped full of steroids.
Those robots were so striking, and changed the traditional concept of warehouse management so dramatically, that their image quickly went viral, even inspiring horrors wonders like this waltz, or this dance set to music from The Nutcracker, filmed when Kiva was still an independent company and not yet part of the eCommerce giant.
Since then, the robotic technology Amazon uses in its logistics centers has evolved significantly, incorporating the latest technological advances and, of course, AI as well.
Over the years, we have told you many times about that whole team of Amazon robots, including Proteus, its first autonomous mobile robot, which featured computer vision and machine learning. Since then, Amazon has developed, manufactured, and deployed more than one million robots across its operations network. Now, it has just introduced the new generation of Proteus, and it looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie.
At first glance, the new Proteus has features that strongly recall the original Kiva Robots, but in green, somewhat wider, and only about 8 inches tall. It also has something like a mouth and some incredibly cute little eyes capable of “smiling.”
Oh, and it is smarter. Much smarter.
Proteus, happily going about its robot business
According to Amazon, its warehouse employees will be able to direct Proteus naturally, using simple, everyday language as if they were speaking with a human coworker, without technical commands or a programming interface. “The employee tells it what needs to be done, and the robot takes care of the rest,” the company explains.
In any case, the new Proteus will have much more autonomy than its predecessor. Until now, the original Proteus worked in loading and unloading areas, transporting heavy loads of up to 400 kilograms. However, the new generation of Proteus can operate “anywhere items need to be moved. This includes transporting carts upon arrival, transferring them between workstations, and assisting employees in Amazon fulfillment centers and delivery stations.”
And it does all of this autonomously. Workers will simply tell Proteus what needs to be done, and the robot will determine the best route on its own, including over long distances within logistics centers, while also setting the task priority and choosing the most suitable time to carry it out.
Other mobile robots used by Amazon and other companies in warehouse operations follow lines of stickers on the floor to know where to go, in areas surrounded by fences to keep robots and people separate. The new Proteus, however, needs none of that, thanks to sensors that allow it to understand where it can move and stop quickly if something gets too close.
According to Amazon, its rollout in Europe is scheduled for the first half of 2027.
That European expansion naturally includes Spain, which also played a key role in the development of another of the robotic innovations announced by Amazon: Stark.
Stark is the name of Amazon’s new collaborative robotic system for handling carts with hyper-precision. It is a complex, physically demanding task that must be carried out safely, and it originated from the idea of one of Amazon’s employees. It has been tested in pilot phase in Barcelona.
The Stark robot has been operating in trials in Barcelona
From now on, Stark will work alongside employees, picking up full carts from conveyor belts and placing them onto trolleys, “a task that would otherwise require repetitive heavy lifting,” the company explains.
Another of the robotic technologies making its European debut is Vulcan, a robot that uses AI and force sensors to handle items with great delicacy. Its design is focused on worker ergonomics, as it takes over stowing and picking tasks in the upper rows, about 8 feet high, and at the bottom of bins, eliminating the need for workers to use ladders. It includes a spatula that allows it to push and create space, as well as a gripper that adjusts its grip strength depending on the size and fragility of the product.
In fact, we are talking about Amazon’s first robotic system with a sense of touch, capable of seeing and feeling objects simultaneously in order to move through densely packed environments. Originally developed for a facility in Spokane, Washington, Vulcan is already operational at Amazon’s site in Hamburg, Germany.
Image: Amazon
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