Amazon is experimenting with using humanoid robots as workers in some of its warehouses in the US. With this, Amazon is taking automation in its warehouses to a new level. This move underscores the tech giant’s ongoing efforts to streamline operations and enhance efficiency.
Amazon says that using robots in the warehouse will ‘free up staff’ for more important things.
Amazon has a history of lawsuits and allegations of creating a problematic and sometimes hostile work environment for its warehouse workers. There are several testimonials from former warehouse workers at Amazon, in which they claimed that they were so overworked and on such tight deadlines, that they had to urinate in water bottles while at their stations since they did not have the time to go to designated loos.
Several reports have also indicated that Amazon’s warehouses have some of the highest worker turnover rates in the US. In some cities, the turnover can be double the national average.
The company stated that introducing humanoid robots, named “Digit,” aims to “free employees up to better deliver for our customers.” Digit, equipped with arms and legs, mimics human movement, enabling it to move, grasp, and handle items like a human worker.
While Amazon’s move towards automation has raised concerns from labor unions, the company insists that its robotic systems have created “hundreds of thousands of new jobs” within its operations, including 700 job categories that previously did not exist.
Trade unions have expressed concern over Amazon’s push for automation, suggesting it led to job losses in fulfillment centers. A representative of the union GMB noted that Amazon’s automation is a head-first race to job losses. “We’ve already seen hundreds of jobs disappear to it in fulfillment centers,” they added.
Amazon’s efforts to automate its operations have already seen the deployment of over 750,000 robots, which collaborate with human employees to tackle highly repetitive tasks.
Amazon Robotics’ chief technologist, Tye Brady, emphasized the irreplaceable role of human workers in the fulfillment process and dismissed the idea of fully automated warehouses in the future. He stated, “There’s not any part of me that thinks that would ever be a reality. People are central to the fulfillment process; the ability to think at a higher level and diagnose problems.”
Unlike traditional wheeled robots used in Amazon warehouses, Digit has two legs to move about. This innovation allows it to navigate steps, stairs, and other obstacles in Amazon’s facilities. Scott Dresser of Amazon Robotics described Digit as a prototype, and the trial aims to assess its compatibility and safety when working alongside human employees.
“Our experience has been these new technologies create jobs; they allow us to grow and expand. And we’ve seen multiple examples of this through the robots that we have today. Unfortunately, they don’t always run, and we need people to repair them,” said Mr. Dresser.
Amazon has been steadily increasing its use of robots to enhance operational efficiency and cut costs. In addition to humanoid robots, the company has previously introduced wheeled robots for goods transportation within its warehouses and initiated drone deliveries in select regions within the United States.
