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Dive Brief:
Amazon unveiled several new robots it’s planning to deploy throughout its logistics network in announcements on May 7.
The functions and benefits vary by robot, but they largely focus on eliminating or reducing manual employee tasks. Amazon’s automated “Tipper” robot, for example, automatically unloads packages from carts brought by employees to conveyor belts.
“We want to create more high-skilled work that is ergonomically sound for everyone at our facilities,” said Nicola Fyfe, vice president of Amazon Logistics in Europe, in a news release. “Technology is helping us achieve this vision by creating better, safer work environments inside our delivery stations.”
Robot
Function
Benefit
Deployment
Tipper
Transfers packages from carts to conveyor belts
Eliminates need for manual unloading
Starting in Europe, will eventually deploy globally
Echelon
Manages package flow on conveyor belts
Eliminates need for manual handling
Starting in Europe, will eventually deploy globally
Six-sided scanner
Automatically captures package information from every angle
Eliminates need for manual scanning
Starting in Europe, will eventually deploy globally
Agility and Matrix
Determines optimal package sorting paths
Minimizes need for manual pushing, reaching and handling
Starting in Europe, will eventually deploy globally
ZancaSort
Brings packages and bags to employees at an ergonomic height
Removes need for employees to walk through numerous aisles or reach to stack parcels
Starting in Europe, will eventually deploy globally
Vision Assisted Sort Station
Visually highlights packages and their correct sorting locations
Makes it easier for employees to match packages to correct delivery route totes
Planned deployment in U.S. and Europe delivery stations starting in 2027
Vulcan
Picks and stows items with advanced sensing technology
Handles items stowed in hard-to-reach places that are less ergonomic for employees
Planned deployment in the U.S. and Europe over the next few years
Source: Amazon
Dive Insight:
Amazon’s newest robots aren’t taking over its fulfillment centers and last-mile delivery stations just yet, as large-scale deployment will take years. Still, the company said the technologies at its Dortmund, Germany, facility offer a glimpse into what the company expects its network will look like in the future, with machines taking on much of the heavy lifting.
Working conditions for employees within Amazon’s warehouses have faced scrutiny through the years. A Senate report in 2024 suggested the company’s warehouses created a “uniquely dangerous” environment for its workers, a claim Amazon refuted.
“Since we’ve been pretty substantially integrating robotics into our fulfillment network over the last many years, we have seen cost-savings and we’ve seen productivity improvements and we’ve seen safety improvements,” CEO Andy Jassy said on a February earnings call. “And so, we have already gotten a significant amount of value out of our robotics innovations.”
The e-commerce giant currently has more than 750,000 robots deployed in its network, all of which play a role in completing over 75% of customer orders, Amazon said in its announcement covering the “Vulcan” robot.
Vulcan has a keen sense of touch, allowing it to carefully and easily manipulate objects within inventory pod compartments, according to Amazon. The robot’s capabilities allow it to pick and stow items in the top rows of these pods, removing the need for employees to use step ladders to reach those areas.
“Vulcan does this using an ‘end of arm tooling’ that resembles a ruler stuck onto a hair straightener, plus force feedback sensors that tell it how hard it’s pushing or how firmly it’s holding something, so it can stay below the point at which it risks doing damage,” Amazon said.