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Amazon warehouse robots don't quite rival human workers... yet

Date:
Tue, 13 May 2025 17:22:00 +0000

Description:
Although Amazon's warehouse robots aren't quite ready to replace humans,
hybrids of humans and robots are proving to be effective.

FULL STORY

After a series of robotics announcements over the past few years, including
its latest Vulcan robot which has a sense of touch, Amazon is testing
next-generation models named 'Stow' and 'Pick', and their names say it all
they're designed to assist in the stowing and picking processes at fulfilment
centers. 

However, the company has acknowledged that current robot technology is in no
place to replace human workers despite achieving promising results. 

According to its performance testing, humans averaged 243 units per hour
compared with robots, at 224 units per hour. The difference is small, but
Amazon also highlighted some nuances.

Amazon's robots are good, but not human good

Where the robots stand out is in consistency. "It was also found that humans
had greater variation in stow rates: people can quickly stow many small items
efficiently, but are slower with large items, crouching for lower bins, or
when using a step ladder to reach the top bins," Amazon explained . 

The company also observed how humans can perform multiple tasks at once with
two hands, such as pulling out a storage bin with one hand and stowing an 
item with the other  something that the current generation of robots fails to
do. 

Still, the gap is closing, with Amazon's robots stowing at greater than 85%
success at a similar stow rate to humans across more than half a million
tests. 

That said, there are some challenges with implementing robotics across Amazon
warehouses, including damages caused by dropping products, inserting products
into stowage bins, and crushing lightweight boxes. 

As such, while full human replacement is not feasible yet, hybrid systems are
proving to be highly effective, with more work needed on improving handling
and reducing damages caused by robots. 

"Deeper research into predicting complex item interaction may be required in
scaling manipulation more general," Amazon's researchers added.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/amazon-warehouse-robots-dont-quite-rival-human-w
orkers-yet

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