Amazon is testing humanoid robotics in its warehouses. The company insists that the robots will not replace humans, but rather eliminate repetitive tasks.
In one of its warehouses, near Seattle, the US tech giant deployed a bipedal mobile robot named Digit that can move and lift containers with its “hands”.
The machine is 5ft 9in tall, weighs up to 65kg and has a maximum weight of 35kg.
Amazon stated in a post on its blog: “Its shape and size are well-suited for buildings designed for people, and we think there’s a huge opportunity to scale up a mobile manipulator, such as Digit which can work with employees.”
Robots will be used initially to collect and pick up empty baskets, so that workers will not have to lift as heavy.
Digit was built by Agility robotics, an Amazon-backed start-up that received $1bn in investment funds last year.
The launch coincides with fears that robotic automation and artificial intelligence could quickly replace millions of office and factory jobs.
Tye Brady told reporters that people are “irreplaceable”. The Guardian reported that he said Digit’s launch “doesn’t” mean Amazon needs fewer workers.
Mr Brady claimed that robots would help “eliminate the menial, mundane and repetitive” tasks in Amazon’s business.
Professor Carl Frey of Oxford University’s artificial intelligence department said that warehouse automation was where factory automation used to be in the 1980s. “You have seen companies rebuild and reshape their factory environments to make them easier for robots navigate.”
“This will mean less jobs in the future. But it does not mean that warehouses are going to be fully automated. You still need technicians.”
I do believe that we will have fewer warehouse workers in the future.”
The tech giant already has hundreds of thousands other robotic machines deployed across its operations.
It announced on Wednesday the deployment of a robot system named Sequoia in a Houston warehouse. This system includes a robotic workstation and machines that collect and sort packages before delivery.
Amazon wrote in a blog: “With this new system, employees won’t have to reach over their heads to pick up customer orders. This will support our efforts to reduce injuries.”
Politicians in the US have pressed the tech company to explain why there are so many injuries in its warehouses.
Sparrow is a robotic arm that has been developed by the company. It can sort and identify millions of different items.
Amazon reported that “lost-time incidents” at its robot-only sites were 18% lower than those in human only warehouses.
Carsten Heer of the World Robotics Federation said that despite massive automation of factories, many companies struggle to find enough workers.
He asked: “Does it really seem like companies are able to hire enough people, or is there a severe labour shortage in the present day? The labour statistics indicate that we are facing a serious shortage of workers.
He said that robots are mostly “dumb machines”, which can be useful for basic tasks, but cannot adapt or react to the tasks in a warehouse.
Ford has been using humanoid robotics from Agility Robotics to deliver packages in driverless vans since 2020.
Other technology companies are automating deliveries in large numbers. Ocado developed warehouses where robots collect and sort grocery hoppers for delivery.
The auto industry has been using robotic machines for years to automate their production lines.
Amazon’s humanoid robotics are a bit more unique. Many companies have been trying to create machines that walk and move like humans for many years, but with mixed success.
Simon Jones of warehouse automation firm Exotec says that the robots are not as humanoid and already well adapted for warehouse work.