5 ms·

Seems like it places great trust in the structural integrity of the packaging/box. BD claims it can "grab and move" boxes up to 23 kgs. I've done some work in

Seems like it places great trust in the structural integrity of the packaging/box. BD claims it can "grab and move" boxes up to 23 kgs. I've done some work in Mech Engg. designing grippers for smaller objects, and gripping objects is often the hardest part. From an operations research perspective, a human will figure out the best way to carry a box that is almost falling apart almost intuitively. I can see this being extremely useful in, say, a large warehouse where it is isolated to finding and moving boxes to loading bays, particularly through an API. Amazon is already doing this, and this video is highly relevant here — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sEVX4mPuto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sEVX4mPuto

grumple 6y ago
Wow, I have vastly underestimated Amazon's technological lead. I worked in a non-Amazon warehouse many moons ago, and they weren't doing anything even in the same atmosphere as this.
- Symmetry 6y ago
  Kiva bots are cool and have some advantages but I wouldn't say they're that much more advanced than other AS/RSes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_storage_and_retrieval_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_storage_and_retrieva... For warehouses willing to make capital investments automating the process of getting bins to pickers is a pretty well understood problem. Getting boxes out of trucks like Boston Dynamics is doing here and getting items out of bins and into boxes like we[1] are doing are the frontiers of warehouse automation right now. [1] http://www.righthandrobotics.com/ http://www.righthandrobotics.com/
- tralarpa 6y ago
  The number of robots and their speed are really impressive. But the concept is not so new. I saw robots driving around with parts at a car manufacturer in 1991 or 1992.
- achow 6y ago
  I think it is not that bleeding edge a thing. Flipkart (India's Amazon, acquired by Walmart since then) deployed similar things in their warehouse: https://inc42.com/buzz/flipkart-deploys-100-automated-robots-in-its-bengaluru-delivery-hub/ https://inc42.com/buzz/flipkart-deploys-100-automated-robots... Yet another warehouse robotics startup from India: https://www.greyorange.com/ https://www.greyorange.com/
  - abledon 6y ago
    yikes , i can imagine it would be hard working in that 'sub' level in the building with only those florescent lights, having robots 'dump' their packages down a shoot onto you. maybe workers only stay there for 6-18 months before moving on to other areas of building (or new job) Stay strong factory workers!
    - grogenaut 6y ago
      They're both indoors. There isn't natural light in the robot section either. What's the difference? It'd be about the same as being in any big box store other than it sound like like someone roller skating up above.
- delfinom 6y ago
  Amazon bought out a company with an nearly ready product. But at this point they aren't the only company making that style of inventory/robot system now. There are a few clones out there in use.
- notJim 6y ago
  In the comments on that video, there are Amazon workers saying most of this stuff is still manual. I've read some workers on reddit saying it varies a lot from warehouse to warehouse.
fiftyfifty 6y ago
There's something to be said for building the entire warehouse to support automation, versus trying to build a robot that can work in any warehouse.
- monkeydust 6y ago
  True but there is massive long tail of warehouses in operations where this is not possible right now so I can see this working. Does anyone know the cost?
- yellowapple 6y ago
  The problem is that building the entire warehouse to support automation from day 1 requires a lot of upfront costs that only the largest orgs can reasonably afford. And it's remarkably easy to screw up, such that the automation doesn't end up being all that effective or itself introduces inefficiencies. It ain't like software, either, where it's (comparatively) easy to refactor things; if you fuck up an automation project, it's gonna be stuck that way for years. Besides, in my experience (as a professional in this exact field of warehouse / supply chain / fulfillment operations), the biggest gains are usually process-related, and adding robots doesn't really help. The average warehouse tends to have ridiculously inefficient processes, driven by clunky and cumbersome software. Things like aisle zoning / pick path planning (i.e. minimizing the distances pickers have to travel for average pick orders, and minimizing contention between pickers and replen), data entry automation (e.g. barcode scanners and computerized scales instead of manual data entry), precise and measured use of conveyors, etc. help maximize the return on every labor dollar spent. These things can all be done incrementally to good effect. That is, to your point: throwing robots at an inefficient warehouse just gets you an inefficient warehouse full of robots. And yes, designing the warehouse from the ground up to support automation as efficiently as possible is a good idea, but focusing on human efficiency will get you 90% of the way there - and then you can spend the other 90% of that effort on whiz-bang software and droids ;)
  - bsanr2 6y ago
    The clerks at the warehouse I worked at spent 30 min-1 hour every day hand-collating order manifests because whatever system that spit them out (from some contractor or corporate?) did so as PDFs that couldn't be easily modified. Literally building packets that were similarly structured, every night, by hand. I did what I could with Excel macros to automate as much as I could, but I'm not a trained coder and I definitely didn't have security access to implement the tools that could have saved us huge headaches. I wondered quite a bit who the hell up top got paid to set up this process.
rasz 6y ago
What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? So it falls apart further down the stream? This is similar to a situation we often deal in electronics repair business. Some people are very adamant about being careful when reworking around water damaged components because those solder joints/balls/legs are already weakened, when in fact the proper procedure is to rip out and replace everything compromised. Whats the point of turning device back to working electrical order while leaving it mechanically deteriorated - it will come back broken the first time used bumps into something, or when the eaten away solder ball finally gives up after few more heat cycles. Any time someone would say "be careful or it falls apart" its time to remove/replace it, not pass along hoping to make it someone elses problem.
- tpmx 6y ago
  > What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? I'd imagine the goal ("purpose") is to meet a sweet spot between money spent on packaging materials and cost of returns from broken deliveries caused by the packaging. Sometimes less money spent on packaging also aligns with corporate environmental goals. If you're into loyal customers you probably want to spend a little more than you "have to" one packaging.
  - alpaca128 6y ago
    I'd say if Amazon adopts this kind of robot for their warehouses they won't worry about investing a bit more into reliable packaging. It's still going to be cheaper than paying a monthly salary.
- vl 6y ago
  > What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? UPS sometimes breaks boxes they deliver. They just re-tape it and finish delivery. Sometimes everything is there, sometimes something is lost and you need to file a claim. This robot at least needs to recognize broken box and hail human in such case.
  - oceanghost 6y ago
ksec 6y ago
Not to mention some boxes might not work with griping. That was my first reaction when I saw it. I have also yet to see any robot that is designed for -20C / -4F warehouse which are in dying need of automation. Current form are at best per rack or per pallet automation.

grumple 6y ago

Wow, I have vastly underestimated Amazon's technological lead. I worked in a non-Amazon warehouse many moons ago, and they weren't doing anything even in the same atmosphere as this.

Symmetry 6y ago
Kiva bots are cool and have some advantages but I wouldn't say they're that much more advanced than other AS/RSes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_storage_and_retrieval_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_storage_and_retrieva... For warehouses willing to make capital investments automating the process of getting bins to pickers is a pretty well understood problem. Getting boxes out of trucks like Boston Dynamics is doing here and getting items out of bins and into boxes like we[1] are doing are the frontiers of warehouse automation right now. [1] http://www.righthandrobotics.com/ http://www.righthandrobotics.com/
tralarpa 6y ago
The number of robots and their speed are really impressive. But the concept is not so new. I saw robots driving around with parts at a car manufacturer in 1991 or 1992.
achow 6y ago
I think it is not that bleeding edge a thing. Flipkart (India's Amazon, acquired by Walmart since then) deployed similar things in their warehouse: https://inc42.com/buzz/flipkart-deploys-100-automated-robots-in-its-bengaluru-delivery-hub/ https://inc42.com/buzz/flipkart-deploys-100-automated-robots... Yet another warehouse robotics startup from India: https://www.greyorange.com/ https://www.greyorange.com/
- abledon 6y ago
  yikes , i can imagine it would be hard working in that 'sub' level in the building with only those florescent lights, having robots 'dump' their packages down a shoot onto you. maybe workers only stay there for 6-18 months before moving on to other areas of building (or new job) Stay strong factory workers!
  - grogenaut 6y ago
    They're both indoors. There isn't natural light in the robot section either. What's the difference? It'd be about the same as being in any big box store other than it sound like like someone roller skating up above.
delfinom 6y ago
Amazon bought out a company with an nearly ready product. But at this point they aren't the only company making that style of inventory/robot system now. There are a few clones out there in use.
notJim 6y ago
In the comments on that video, there are Amazon workers saying most of this stuff is still manual. I've read some workers on reddit saying it varies a lot from warehouse to warehouse.

fiftyfifty 6y ago

There's something to be said for building the entire warehouse to support automation, versus trying to build a robot that can work in any warehouse.

monkeydust 6y ago
True but there is massive long tail of warehouses in operations where this is not possible right now so I can see this working. Does anyone know the cost?
yellowapple 6y ago
The problem is that building the entire warehouse to support automation from day 1 requires a lot of upfront costs that only the largest orgs can reasonably afford. And it's remarkably easy to screw up, such that the automation doesn't end up being all that effective or itself introduces inefficiencies. It ain't like software, either, where it's (comparatively) easy to refactor things; if you fuck up an automation project, it's gonna be stuck that way for years. Besides, in my experience (as a professional in this exact field of warehouse / supply chain / fulfillment operations), the biggest gains are usually process-related, and adding robots doesn't really help. The average warehouse tends to have ridiculously inefficient processes, driven by clunky and cumbersome software. Things like aisle zoning / pick path planning (i.e. minimizing the distances pickers have to travel for average pick orders, and minimizing contention between pickers and replen), data entry automation (e.g. barcode scanners and computerized scales instead of manual data entry), precise and measured use of conveyors, etc. help maximize the return on every labor dollar spent. These things can all be done incrementally to good effect. That is, to your point: throwing robots at an inefficient warehouse just gets you an inefficient warehouse full of robots. And yes, designing the warehouse from the ground up to support automation as efficiently as possible is a good idea, but focusing on human efficiency will get you 90% of the way there - and then you can spend the other 90% of that effort on whiz-bang software and droids ;)
- bsanr2 6y ago
  The clerks at the warehouse I worked at spent 30 min-1 hour every day hand-collating order manifests because whatever system that spit them out (from some contractor or corporate?) did so as PDFs that couldn't be easily modified. Literally building packets that were similarly structured, every night, by hand. I did what I could with Excel macros to automate as much as I could, but I'm not a trained coder and I definitely didn't have security access to implement the tools that could have saved us huge headaches. I wondered quite a bit who the hell up top got paid to set up this process.

rasz 6y ago

What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? So it falls apart further down the stream? This is similar to a situation we often deal in electronics repair business. Some people are very adamant about being careful when reworking around water damaged components because those solder joints/balls/legs are already weakened, when in fact the proper procedure is to rip out and replace everything compromised. Whats the point of turning device back to working electrical order while leaving it mechanically deteriorated - it will come back broken the first time used bumps into something, or when the eaten away solder ball finally gives up after few more heat cycles. Any time someone would say "be careful or it falls apart" its time to remove/replace it, not pass along hoping to make it someone elses problem.

tpmx 6y ago
> What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? I'd imagine the goal ("purpose") is to meet a sweet spot between money spent on packaging materials and cost of returns from broken deliveries caused by the packaging. Sometimes less money spent on packaging also aligns with corporate environmental goals. If you're into loyal customers you probably want to spend a little more than you "have to" one packaging.
- alpaca128 6y ago
  I'd say if Amazon adopts this kind of robot for their warehouses they won't worry about investing a bit more into reliable packaging. It's still going to be cheaper than paying a monthly salary.
vl 6y ago
> What would be the purpose of loading disintegrating box anyway? UPS sometimes breaks boxes they deliver. They just re-tape it and finish delivery. Sometimes everything is there, sometimes something is lost and you need to file a claim. This robot at least needs to recognize broken box and hail human in such case.
- oceanghost 6y ago

ksec 6y ago

Not to mention some boxes might not work with griping. That was my first reaction when I saw it. I have also yet to see any robot that is designed for -20C / -4F warehouse which are in dying need of automation. Current form are at best per rack or per pallet automation.