Bin moving robots designed by Kiva Systems still form the cornerstone of Amazon’s warehouse robotics ten years after it acquired the startup. There’s a reason his recently unveiled fully autonomous Proteus robot, for example, effectively looks like his green one of these systems (“Seahawks green,” according to Robotics VP Joseph Quinlivan). . Over the years, retail giants have expanded their range of warehouse “bots.” Hundreds of thousands of bots now occupy fulfillment centers across the United States.
Image credit: Brian Heater
As you can imagine, the robotic arm is a big piece of that puzzle. Robin (debuted 18 months ago) and Cardinal (rolling out this year) are the two most prominent examples, both designed to move packages around the warehouse. Cardinal is effectively Robin’s update, allowing you to pack a box full of packages. Amazon’s warehouses currently have approximately 1,000 Robin units.
At an event held at the Robotics Center in Westborough, Massachusetts (about 40 minutes from downtown Boston), the company added a third bird, a sparrow.
Image credit: Amazon
The new arm is a more sophisticated version of the company’s existing robotic arm, adding the ability to pick and place specific objects in bins. The company says the Arm’s computer vision and AI can identify and move “millions” of items.
Amazon wrote:
Working with employees, Sparrow takes on repetitive tasks, freeing up employees to focus their time and energy on other things, increasing safety. At the same time, Sparrow is automating key parts of the fulfillment process to increase efficiency and keep serving customers.
The company, of course, is quick to point out that Sparrow (like other robots) is designed to replace repetitive tasks. Naturally, it has become common practice for companies to preempt the standard criticism of automating jobs, but these systems
1. have the ability to actually create more jobs in the long run,
2. These are “better” jobs than standard warehouse fees.
Image credit: Amazon
Every second, Amazon attached a note about its employee education program to a Sparrow blog post, stating:
Amazon mechatronics and robotics apprenticeships are one example of our efforts to advance employee careers. Following his 12-week classroom apprenticeship program, covered by Amazon, with 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and industry-recognized certifications, employees learn new skills and develop in-demand technical maintenance skills. We help you pursue your role. At the end of the apprenticeship period, program participants’ employees’ salaries increase by approximately 40%.
