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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 sa

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.

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.