Amazon's latest robot can identify objects by touching them
What's the story
Amazon has unveiled Vulcan, a robot with touch-sensing technology. The company calls it a "fundamental leap forward in robotics."
According to Aaron Parness, Amazon's Director of Robotics, Vulcan is not just about seeing the world but feeling it. This level of advancement was previously impossible for Amazon's bots.
It can identify objects by touch, using AI to determine what it can handle and how best to pick them up.
Functionality
Vulcan's role in Amazon
Vulcan has been designed to help humans sort items for storage and prepare them for delivery.
It will work alongside humans who currently store and retrieve items from shelving units at picking stations.
These shelving units are moved by wheeled robots, of which Amazon now has over 750,000 in operation.
Efficiency
How Vulcan improves warehouse operations
Vulcan can store items on both upper and lower levels of the shelving units, aka pods. This minimizes the need for humans to use ladders or bend frequently while working. Currently, Amazon's warehouse robots can move items around or pick them up using suction cups.
Job displacement
Concerns over job losses amid rise in automation
The introduction of Vulcan has sparked fears of job losses as retailers cut down on human involvement in distribution centers.
Many retailers are ramping up their investment in automation amid rising labor costs across the globe.
In 2023, Goldman Sachs economists theorized that 300 million jobs globally might be automated out of existence by 2030, with many more roles radically transformed.
The Tony Blair Institute estimated between 60,000 and 275,000 jobs could be displaced every year in the UK alone.
Human role
Amazon's assurance on human involvement in warehouse operations
Despite fears of job displacement, Tye Brady, Amazon's Chief Technologist of Robotics, reassured that robots cannot fully replace humans in the group's warehouses.
He stressed that these robots are there to "amplify human potential" and improve safety in the workplace.
Brady said people will always be part of the equation and machines will handle "the menial, the mundane and the repetitive" tasks.
AI integration
AI's role in developing autonomous robots
Brady emphasized that AI plays a key role in building robots that can navigate complex spaces on their own and learn to move safely alongside people and other objects.
The latest generation of robots can even "ask for help," allowing them to learn new ways of doing things.
Amazon plans to install packaging machines using machine-learning and automation technology by the end of this year, with more installations planned by 2027.