AMAZON has provided a rare look “behind the curtain” of its warehouse of the future.
The tech giant has invited media to its first Delivering the Future event, which is taking place in a warehouse in Boston.
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Reporters were taken inside a facility that houses lots of new robots and not a lot of human workers.
The eerie silence in such a large space was noticeable as the robots whizzed around processing parcels.
Joe Quinlivan, VP of Robotics Fulfillment & IT at Amazon, told journalists that the technology on display will be “fuelling our supply chain in the years to come”.
The event is a big step for Amazon as Quinlivan admitted that the company does not usually let reporters “behind the curtain” into their delivery warehouses.
The robots on display today include new creations like the Sparrow and Proteus, as well as some that are already in use like Robin the robotic arm.
Although the warehouse may look devoid of humans, Amazon has stressed that the robots are designed to aid human workers.
When The U.S. Sun asked Amazon Executive Tye Brady if it’s fair to say the robots are replacing some human jobs but not replacing humans entirely, he answered: “I think that is fair to say.”
He added: “The need for Amazon associates will always be there.”
Brady explained that robots and humans working together really helped Amazon get through the stress that the coronavirus pandemic put on the company.
The robots are designed to do jobs that humans used to do so that human workers can focus on other tasks.
However, it’s clear that some of the robots can do jobs much quicker and more efficiently than humans who could focus on other areas.
The Sparrow robot is a good example of this.
Amazon said: “Sparrow is an intelligent robotic system that streamlines the fulfillment process by moving individual products before they are packaged –a major advancement in technology in our operations to support our employees.”
It explained: “A critical part of our fulfillment process happens before items are even packaged for shipment to customers. Sophisticated technology moves totes to employees who select inventory to be packaged.
“Once the items are boxed up, our existing robotic arms–like Robin and our recently announcedCardinal–can then redirect packages to various locations in the warehouse before they begin their delivery journey.”
Amazon also showed of its large bug-like robot called Proteus that can move carts around the warehouse floor.
Unlike previous robots, Proteus is safe to work alongside humans because it knows to stop and move out of the way for them.
Proteus has also been given a face so human workers can read its expression.
The robot was compared to working with “a farmyard animal”.
A lot of the robots are in warehouses already but Sparrow will be rolled out soon after further tests.
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