Latest news with #DeliveringtheFuture
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amazon: BofA says robots/AVs could address 34% of total costs
-- Bank of America sees significant cost-saving potential in Amazon's growing use of robotics and autonomous vehicles (AVs), telling investors in a note Monday that the technologies could address up to 34% of the company's total costs. BofA said Amazon's robotics push is 'instrumental to improving Amazon's cost structure.' They explained that fulfillment and shipping each account for about 17% of Amazon's total costs, and both are areas where automation is increasingly being deployed. 'We believe delivery could be another area of material cost savings,' analysts wrote, highlighting the ramp-up of Zoox AVs and new MK30 drones. At its recent Delivering the Future event, Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) unveiled eight new robots—including Tipper, ZancaSort, and Vulcan—designed to increase efficiency across delivery stations and fulfillment centers. Amazon said robots already assist with roughly 75% of customer orders, but BofA expects that 'robot touchpoints per package' will grow as the company integrates more machines. The bank believes these systems could reduce labor costs, cut injury-related expenses, and improve order accuracy, helping to minimize returns, which MWPVL estimates make up about 20% of fulfillment and delivery costs. Furthermore, BofA notes that robotics are already being scaled up at Amazon's 12th Generation Fulfillment Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. CEO Andy Jassy noted that the facility 'can reduce fulfillment processing time by up to 25%' and is expected to 'drive a 25% improvement in our cost to serve during peak.' With fulfillment costs totaling $99 billion in 2024, the bank says even modest efficiency gains could have a major financial impact. 'Robots/AVs could address 34% of total costs,' BofA concluded, reaffirming its Buy rating and $230 price target on Amazon. Related articles Amazon: BofA says robots/AVs could address 34% of total costs TSX Composite set for biggest turnover since 2022 as trade tensions reshape index Citi upgrades PDD: Says tariff reductions positive for China cross-border sellers Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Mayor
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Amazon makes ‘fundamental leap forward in robotics' with device having sense of touch
Amazon said it has made a 'fundamental leap forward in robotics' after developing a robot with a sense of touch that will be capable of grabbing about three-quarters of the items in its vast warehouses. Vulcan – which launches at the US firm's 'Delivering the Future' event in Dortmund, Germany, on Wednesday and is to be deployed around the world in the next few years – is designed to help humans sort items for storage and then prepare them for delivery as the latest in a suite of robots which have an ever-growing role in the online retailer's extensive operation. Aaron Parness, Amazon's director of robotics, described Vulcan as a 'fundamental leap forward in robotics. It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.' The robots will be able to identify objects by touch using AI to work out what they can and can't handle and figuring out how best to pick them up. They will work alongside humans who now stash and retrieve items from shelving units which are manoeuvred to them at picking stations by wheeled robots – of which Amazon now has more than 750,000 in operation. Vulcan will be able to stow items on the upper and lower levels of the shelving units – known as pods – so that humans no longer need to use ladders or bend so often during their work. Robots now operating in Amazon's warehouse are able to shift items around or pick items using suction cups and computer vision. Read More Our digital addiction is costing the planet dearly | Letters The development is likely to raise fears of job losses as retailers reduce human involvement in distribution centres, which employ thousands of people. Many retailers have said that they are increasing investment in automation as labour costs rise around the world. Amazon has faced industrial action in the UK and elsewhere over low pay in its warehouses. Economists at Goldman Sachs speculated in 2023 that 300m jobs worldwide could be automated out of existence by 2030 as a result of the development of generative AI, with many more roles radically transformed. In the UK, between 60,000 and 275,000 jobs could be displaced every year over a couple of decades at the peak of the disruption, estimates from the Tony Blair Institute suggested last year. However, Tye Brady, the chief technologist of robotics at Amazon, said robots could not completely replace humans in the group's warehouses and were there to 'amplify the human potential' and to improve safety in the workplace. The self-confessed 'Star Wars geek' said the robots he helps design could be likened to R2D2 as 'an amazing collaborative robot'. 'People will always be part of the equation,' he said, while machines will take on 'the menial, the mundane and the repetitive' tasks. 'There's no such thing as completely automated. It just doesn't exist, because you always need people to understand the value of the operation, just using common sense, like, is that really doing the job?' He said having people involved could help protect against potential hacks of the system – as retailers increase efforts to protect themselves after the shutdown of Marks & Spencer's online orders following a cyber-attack. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion 'All hacking could possibly be detected by a machine, but they're usually detected by people, so having people be part of the equation is a good thing,' Brady said. He added that humans are also best for spotting more prosaic problems, such as broken or spilt items in a delivery that could cause problems for the system. Brady says that AI is helping to develop robots that can navigate complex spaces autonomously and learn to move safely alongside people and other objects. He said the latest generation of robots were able to 'ask for help' so that they could learn new ways of doing things. 'It's really exciting to bring both the mind and the body together,' he said. 'It's finally here, and it's just beginning.' For example, Amazon plans to install technology, which uses machine-learning and automation to create bespoke packaging that will cut waste. More than 70 of the machines will be installed in Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain by the end of this year, with dozens more to follow by 2027. The announcement comes as Amazon this week launched its low-cost Amazon Haul site in the UK, which promises thousands of products for £20 or less, as the group takes on cut-price operators Shein and Temu.
Express Tribune
08-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Amazon unveils 'Vulcan' robot with sense of touch
Listen to article Amazon has unveiled a new robot named Vulcan that it says marks a 'fundamental leap forward in robotics,' as it introduces machines with a human-like sense of touch into its warehouse operations. The AI-powered robot is capable of identifying and handling about 75% of items in Amazon's vast fulfilment centres, using both vision and tactile feedback to sort and store products. Vulcan was introduced at Amazon's Delivering the Future event in Dortmund on Wednesday and is expected to roll out globally over the coming years. Aaron Parness, Amazon's director of robotics, said Vulcan is the first in its fleet to 'feel' as well as see. 'It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now,' he said. The robot is designed to ease physical strain for human workers by reaching items on upper and lower shelving units, eliminating the need for ladders or excessive bending. It will operate alongside Amazon's existing fleet of more than 750,000 robots that already move shelves and assist at picking stations. The development has raised questions about job security. As labour costs rise, many global retailers are increasing investment in automation. Amazon has faced repeated industrial action in the UK and elsewhere over pay and working conditions in its warehouses. Economists at Goldman Sachs warned in 2023 that 300 million jobs worldwide could be lost to automation by 2030. The Tony Blair Institute estimated that in the UK alone, up to 275,000 jobs could be displaced annually at the height of the disruption. Still, Amazon's chief robotics technologist, Tye Brady, insists humans remain essential. 'There's no such thing as completely automated,' he said. 'People will always be part of the equation.' Brady likened Vulcan to Star Wars character R2D2 — a helpful companion, not a replacement. He said humans are key not just for nuanced decision-making, but also for spotting routine issues like broken or spilt items, and for responding to potential cyber threats. Amazon also plans to deploy machine-learning systems to create custom-fit packaging to reduce waste, with over 70 machines to be installed across Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain by year's end, and more by 2027. The news comes as Amazon launched its Amazon Haul site in the UK this week, targeting budget-conscious consumers with thousands of products under £20 — directly challenging low-cost rivals Shein and Temu.
India Today
08-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Amazon creates robots that have a sense of touch to make them more useful for warehouse work
Amazon has recently unveiled its latest innovation -- Vulcan, a robot that has a sense of touch. The company has designed these robots aiming to help in warehouse work. Amazon states, "Today at our Delivering the Future event in Dortmund, Germany, we're introducing a robot that is neither numb nor dumb. Built on key advances in robotics, engineering, and physical AI, Vulcan is our first robot with a sense of touch." This new AI-powered warehouse robot is capable of picking and storing around 75 per cent of the items typically found in the company's storage facilities — a job that was once mainly carried out by human staff. Aaron Parness, Amazon's director of applied science, in a press release, states, "Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics." He adds 'It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.' Amazon launches Vulcan: How does it work Amazon has unveiled Vulcan, its most advanced warehouse robot to date — one that's not only able to pick up items, but also handle them with a level of precision and sensitivity not seen in its previous machines. While Amazon has had robots capable of grasping goods before, Vulcan is the first to successfully navigate and organise items within the company's soft, fabric-lined storage compartments. These storage pods are already transported around the warehouse by a separate fleet of robots. Vulcan operates using a pair of robotic arms — one is designed to move items within a compartment using what Amazon describes as a mechanism resembling 'a ruler stuck onto a hair straightener.' This arm is fitted with force sensors that let the robot detect when it touches an object and adjust its speed and pressure to avoid damage. The second arm features a suction cup, enabling Vulcan to extract products from the pods. It also uses an AI-driven camera to ensure it hasn't accidentally picked up multiple items at once. The company has emphasised that AI is deeply embedded in Vulcan's operations. It's been trained using real-world data, including touch and force inputs, and is built to learn from its mistakes. By studying how objects react to touch, Vulcan refines its movements, which Amazon believes will make it more effective over time. Is Vulcan here to take away human jobs? Already in service at fulfilment centres in Spokane, Washington and Hamburg, Germany, Vulcan has processed over half a million orders. It's primarily tasked with retrieving items located at the top and bottom of the company's eight-foot storage units — a job that would normally require human workers to bend or climb, which Amazon claims helps reduce workplace injuries. Parness has also addressed the concern, kind of, if Vulcan is here to take over human jobs? He says, 'Vulcan works alongside our employees, and the combination is better than either on their own.' The press release stated, "We did all this work to improve not just efficiency, but worker safety and ergonomics." Vulcan's deployment is simply the newest example of how Amazon approaches the use of advanced technology in the workplace. Over the past 12 years, the company has introduced more than 7,50,000 robots into its fulfilment centres — all aimed at helping its employees to work more safely and efficiently, by handling the more physically demanding aspects of the job.
Hindustan Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Amazon says its new Vulcan robot isn't 'numb or dumb,' designed to work like humans
Amazon has introduced a new robot for its fulfilment centres called Vulcan. The company describes it as "neither numb nor dumb," and its first robot with a sense of touch. Amazon revealed Vulcan during its Delivering the Future event in Germany. Amazon Vulcan has helped in creating new job categories, Amazon says.(Amazon) "What many humans do so easily, few robots can tackle," Amazon says. It added that most robots can't feel most things, not just emotionally but in terms of sensory perception. The company calls most robots "numb and dumb." But with Vulcan, it plans to change this. Here's how. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 likely to be world's slimmest foldable- Here's what we know How Is Vulcan Different And What's New Amazon claims that Vulcan is transforming how Amazon operates at its fulfilment centres. It's helping to make employees' jobs safer and customer orders more efficient. This primarily stems from Vulcan's ability to sense more objects and handle them better. Typically, Amazon's inventory is stored in fabric-covered pods divided into compartments about a foot wide, each holding an average of ten items. But for the average robot, grabbing an item from these spaces has been challenging, which lacked the natural style of human hands. This is where Vulcan comes in. It can easily manipulate objects within these compartments, making room as needed. This is because Vulcan can actually detect when it makes contact, how much force it is applying, and how much force should be applied before stopping, ensuring no damage to products. This is achieved through an "end of arm tooling" that resembles a ruler stuck to a hair straightener, alongside force sensors that measure how hard it's pushing or how strongly it's holding an object. Vulcan also has an arm featuring a camera and a suction cup. This arm is responsible for grabbing objects while the camera monitors to ensure it picks up the correct item. Also Read: iPhone 18 Pro likely to ditch Dynamic Island for under-display Face ID- Details Working Like Humans But Creating New Job Categories Amazon claims that Vulcan has the ability to pick and stow about 75% of the items in its fulfilment centres. It operates at speeds comparable to frontline employees, marking a significant shift in how automation and AI support human workers. The introduction of Vulcan has allowed Amazon to create new role categories, ranging from robotic floor monitors to on-site reliability maintenance engineers. To support this shift, Amazon is offering training programmes to help employees transition into robotics and other technical fields. MOBILE FINDER: iPhone 16 LATEST Price, Specs And More
