'Vulcan' rolled out at fulfillment centres in U.S., Germany
Amazon has introduced a brand-new robot with a sense of touch and speeds comparable to the company's frontline employees.
The robot, named Vulcan, has been rolled out to Amazon's fulfilment centres in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany, where it is focused on stowing inventory in the top rows of shelves.
While it is not Amazon's first robot to be able to pick items up, it is the company's first robot with "a sense of touch," or the ability to understand when and how it makes contact with an object.
It can easily manipulate objects within compartments to make room for whatever it's stowing, and it also knows when it makes contact and how much force it's applying and can stop short of doing any damage, according to Amazon.
The robot can also pick up an item, the company added, noting that it makes sure that it knows the item to be grabbed, the best spot to hold it, and that it is taking the right and only thing in the inventory.
"Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics," said Aaron Parness, Amazon director of Applied Science, in a statement. "It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now."
Amazon said Vulcan is able to pick and stow approximately 75% of the items that they store in their fulfilment centres. It also has speeds "comparable" to the company's frontline employees.
But the e-commerce giant clarified that despite these capabilities, Vulcan is not meant to replace workers, but support them in their role.
"Vulcan works alongside our employees, and the combination is better than either on their own," Parness said.
The robot is able to pick and stow items that are in the top rows of the centre's inventory pods, which previously required employees to use a step ladder to reach.
Kari Freitas Hardy, a front-line employee at a fulfilment centre in Spokane, said they are able to pick and stow items with greater ease because of Vulcan.
"It's great to see how many of my co-workers have gained new job skills and taken on more technical roles, like I did, once they started working closer with the technology at our sites," Hardy said in a statement.
Vulcan's introduction comes as robot density in factories around the world doubled in seven years, according to previous data from the International Federation of Robotics.
Its World Robotics 2024 report revealed that global average robot density reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023.
In North America, robot density is at 197 units per 10,000 employees, with the United States ranking 10th in the world when it comes to the most automated countries in the manufacturing industry.
