![]() And what’s really exciting is that some of our most innovative work is yet to come-our next decade of discovery is just beginning.Special thanks to Austin Bohlig for his work on this note.Īmazon’s 2012 acquisition of Kiva Systems was the spark that ignited the Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV) industry, which we believe will represent a $10B market by 2025. Our facilities are safer and more collaborative than ever, and they play an integral role in delivering the products our customers want, when and where they want them. What started as an interesting acquisition has grown into a dedicated team of roboticists, engineers, software developers, ergonomic specialists, and other experts who have revolutionized our operations. Ten years have flown by, but the one constant has been our drive to improve the experience for our employees and customers. As a result, our employees benefit from a more comfortable, safer experience. The system helps determine which pod has the container with the needed product, where that container is located in the pod, how to grab and pull the container to the employee, and how to pick it up once the employee has retrieved the product. Our new Containerized Storage System puts employees in a safer and more ergonomic position through a highly choreographed dance of robotics and software. To reduce the need for employees to reach up, bend down, or climb ladders when retrieving items, we’ve been developing a robotic system that delivers products to employees in a more ergonomically friendly manner. In many Amazon fulfillment centers, employees currently pick or stow items onto mobile shelves as products move through the process of fulfilling customer orders. Amazon Robotics IdentificationĬontainerization products are another innovation that has improved safety in the workplace. We’re currently testing a prototype of Cardinal for handling packages of up to 50 pounds, and we expect to deploy the technology in fulfillment centers next year. Amazon shipping operations run more smoothly because Cardinal converts batch-based manual work into continuous, automated work. With Cardinal, package sorting happens earlier in the shipping process, resulting in faster process time in the facility. Cardinal reduces the risk of employee injuries by handling tasks that require lifting and turning of large or heavy packages or complicated packing in a confined space. ![]() Enter Cardinal, the robotic workcell that uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision to nimbly and quickly select one package out of a pile of packages, lift it, read the label, and precisely place it in a GoCart to send the package on the next step of its journey. The movement of heavy packages, as well as the reduction of twisting and turning motions by employees, are areas we continually look to automate to help reduce risk of injury. Instead, it was about people and technology working safely and harmoniously together to deliver for our customers. From the early days of the Kiva acquisition, our vision was never tied to a binary decision of people or technology. ![]() We have more than a dozen other types of robotic systems in our facilities around the world, including sort centers and air hubs. We have more than 520,000 robotic drive units, and have added over a million jobs, worldwide. But 10 years on, the facts tell a different story. Speculation was rampant that Amazon was replacing people with robots. It was a bold move, and it transformed our business. Back then, we had some automation in our fulfillment centers, but the Kiva acquisition was a big bet in forecasting the role innovation would play in helping us meet our customers’ needs while making work safer, simpler, and more productive for employees. In 2012, we made a big investment to improve productivity in the supply chain by acquiring a robotics company called Kiva. It’s been a decade of discovery at Amazon. ![]()
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