Amazon seems to be getting into the robot business even more these days. Last December e-retail giant Amazon announced that they plan to deliver packages to your doorstep by use of unmanned aerial vehicles (a.k.a. drones) and today they unveiled their new 8th generation fulfillment center which use robots from Kiva Systems, among other high-tech, to help fulfill this year’s holiday orders.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/RhTIl0czuzQ[/youtube]
Amazon owns and operates Kiva Mobile-robotic Warehouse Automation System – a complete order fulfillment solution that encompasses inventory control, forward replenishment, picking, packing, shipping sortation, finishing, and quality control to simultaneously improve productivity, speed, accuracy and flexibility.
Other features at Amazon’s eighth generation fulfillment center include:
- Robo-Stow, one of Earth’s largest robotic arms moving large quantities of inventory for customer order fulfillment;
- New vision systems that enable the unloading and receipt of an entire trailer of inventory in as little as 30 minutes instead of hours; and
- New, high-end graphically oriented computer systems for employees to use while fulfilling orders for customers
There is some concern for robots taking over jobs, but Amazon has announced that they will hire nearly 80,000 part-time employees for the holiday season and it expects that thousands of those employees will stay on in regular, full-time roles.
Graphics courtesy of Amazon, Kiva Systems and Business Wire