Amazon has announced a new touch-sensitive robot, Vulcan, which can pick up and place about three-quarters of the items in warehouses .
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The new robot can accurately estimate the pressure required to grip and move objects, based on their size, dimensions and density, according to the company.
To achieve human-like touch sensitivity, Amazon’s Vulcan uses an arm with an object-recognition camera and suction cup. The arm enters storage bins, moves objects, and locates what it’s looking for. The arm sits at the end of a two-part, articulated mechanical arm that can grab and pull objects in or out of Amazon’s storage pods.
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The arm’s suction cup pulls objects toward the gripper, which acts like a conveyor belt to further move objects in and out of the bins. By feeding data into artificial intelligence system , Vulcan learns from each interaction with objects and adjusts its future movements based on what it has learned. It can also recognize when it cannot move an object and call for help from a human.
Vulcan is already operating in Amazon’s fulfillment centers in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany. Over the past 12 years, Amazon has deployed 750,000 robots in its warehouses worldwide — a number that is approaching the company’s one million human employees.
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Amazon said that in addition to improving efficiency, the robot fleet will also reduce physical strain on warehouse workers, eliminating the need to use ladders or bend over to reach items. The company also says that the widespread implementation of Vulcan in its warehouses will create a new category of human jobs, such as robotic floor managers and workers who will oversee and ensure the quality of order fulfillment by the robots.
Source: livescience
