Latest news with #Parness
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.
Business Insider
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Amazon says its new warehouse robot can work 20-hour shifts and 'feel' items
Amazon warehouse workers' newest high-tech colleague has a sensitive side. The e-commerce giant's latest robot, named Vulcan, is its first system that can sense touch, enabling it to handle a wider selection of oddly shaped items than older models. "In the past, when industrial robots have unexpected contact, they either emergency stop or smash through that contact," Amazon director of applied science Aaron Parness said in a statement. Vulcan's arm uses force-feedback sensors that allow the robot to detect how much pressure it can apply without damaging an object, and Amazon says the tech enables the robot to pick and stow three quarters of the kinds of products that are kept at a typical fulfillment center. The tech is currently in use at centers in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany. Amazon plans to deploy more units across the US and Europe aver the next few years. Apart from its ability to work 20-hour shifts, Amazon also says the Vulcan robot complements human workers by helping reach items from high bins without a step-ladder, and low bins that would require crouching. That frees up workers to focus their efforts on objects stored in mid-height bins, which the company calls their "power zone." "Vulcan works alongside our employees, and the combination is better than either on their own," Parness said. Parness also told CNBC that Amazon fulfillment centers will still need human workers, especially for higher-tech roles that involve installing and maintaining the expanding robot fleet. "I don't believe in 100% automation," he told the outlet. "If we had to get Vulcan to do 100% of the stows and picks, it would never happen. You would wait your entire life. Amazon understands this."
Indian Express
07-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
What is Vulcan, Amazon's latest robot with a sense of touch?
Amazon has introduced a robot with a sense of touch that will be capable of holding and lifting a host of items in its warehouse. The robot named Vulcan, Amazon claims, has made a 'fundamental leap in robotics'. The new robot has been launched at Amazon's 'Delivering the Future' event in Dortmund, Germany. Reportedly, the robot will be deployed worldwide in the next few years and has been designed to assist humans to perform tasks such as sorting items for storage and preparing them for delivery. Until now, robotics has been able to make some stellar accomplishments, such as beating humans in chess masters, driving cars, and cleaning and ironing along with other chores. While robotics have progressed in terms of physical agility, the sense of touch has been missing. According to Aaron Parness, Amazon director of applied science, typical robots that work in commercial settings are 'numb and dumb'. 'In the past, when industrial robots have had unexpected contact, they either emergency stop or smash through that contact. They often don't even know they have hit something because they cannot sense it,' he said. Parness said that the robot being introduced by Amazon is neither numb nor dumb and that it is built on key advances in robotics, engineering, and physical AI. 'Vulcan is our first robot with a sense of touch,' Parness said in an official release. According to Parness, Vulcan is not just seeing the world; it is feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now. He added that Vulcan was already changing the way Amazon was operating at its fulfillment centres and is helping its employees make jobs safer and easier while moving customer orders more efficiently. Vulcan is not Amazon's first robot that can pick things up. The company's Sparrow, Cardinal, and Robin systems use computer vision and suction cups to grab objects or packages. Meanwhile, Proteus, Titan, and Hercules systems lift and haul carts of goods around our fulfilment centres. However, with its sense of touch, especially its ability to understand when and how it makes contact with an object, Vulcan is showing new ways to improve operation jobs. How do Amazon facilities use Vulcan? Amazon, in its official release, said that in order to maximise its efficiency, they store inventory in fabric-covered pods that are divided into compartments of about a foot square. Each of these pods can hold up to 10 items on average. The company acknowledges that picking one out of the crowded space has been challenging for robots, considering they lack the dexterity of humans. Amazon said that Vulcan can easily manipulate objects within those compartments to make room for whatever it is stowing. This is possible, as it is aware when it makes contact and how much force it is applying and can stop short of doing any damage. The robot does an 'end of arm tooling' technique that forces feedback sensors that inform how hard it is pushing or how firmly it is holding something. The company said Vulcan has demonstrated the ability to pick and stow approximately 75 per cent of various types of items at the fulfilment centres. It has speeds comparable to front-line employees. The robot is capable of identifying and moving specific items and can even ask a human partner to tag in. The e-commerce giant claims that Vulcan brings the best of what technology and its employees can achieve by working together. In over a decade, Amazon has deployed over 750,000 robots into its fulfillment centres, and all of these are designed to help employees work safely and efficiently.
The Herald Scotland
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Amazon unveils robot with ‘a sense of touch'
Amazon said Vulcan would join its array of robots already used in its warehouses and fulfilment centres to pick up and move items, but said Vulcan was now able to handle around three quarters of the millions of products the e-commerce giant offers, and can move stock at a speed comparable to human workers. The technology is able to understand how much force it is applying to a push or grab (Amazon/PA) Aaron Parness, Amazon's director of robotics AI, said: 'Vulcan works alongside our employees, and the combination is better than either on their own. 'Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics. 'It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for robots until now.' The US firm said the development of the new type of robot was sparked by a desire to free up time for human staff, as well as improve safety and efficiency in its fulfilment centres. And in response to concerns about robots replacing humans in the workplace, Amazon said its range of robots have created 'hundreds' of new categories of jobs at the firm, including maintenance engineers and monitoring staff for its robotic fleet. Amazon says the robot was sparked by a desire to free up time for human staff (Amazon/PA) Amazon said it also offers training schemes to help staff move into robotics and other fields. Vulcan is expected to be rolled out to sites throughout Europe and the United States over the next 'couple of years'. Mr Parness said it was 'a technology that three years ago seemed impossible but is now set to help transform our operations'. 'Our vision is to scale this technology across our network, enhancing operational efficiency, improving workplace safety, and supporting our employees by reducing physically demanding tasks,' he said.
Rhyl Journal
07-05-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Amazon unveils robot with ‘a sense of touch'
Called Project Vulcan, the new robot has 'force feedback sensors' on the end of an arm and grabbing tool, which make it able to understand how much force it is applying to a push or grab, and can control that force to manipulate and clutch items without causing damage. Amazon said Vulcan would join its array of robots already used in its warehouses and fulfilment centres to pick up and move items, but said Vulcan was now able to handle around three quarters of the millions of products the e-commerce giant offers, and can move stock at a speed comparable to human workers. The technology is able to understand how much force it is applying to a push or grab (Amazon/PA) Aaron Parness, Amazon's director of robotics AI, said: 'Vulcan works alongside our employees, and the combination is better than either on their own. 'Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics. 'It's not just seeing the world, it's feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for robots until now.' The US firm said the development of the new type of robot was sparked by a desire to free up time for human staff, as well as improve safety and efficiency in its fulfilment centres. And in response to concerns about robots replacing humans in the workplace, Amazon said its range of robots have created 'hundreds' of new categories of jobs at the firm, including maintenance engineers and monitoring staff for its robotic fleet. Amazon says the robot was sparked by a desire to free up time for human staff (Amazon/PA) Amazon said it also offers training schemes to help staff move into robotics and other fields. Vulcan is expected to be rolled out to sites throughout Europe and the United States over the next 'couple of years'. Mr Parness said it was 'a technology that three years ago seemed impossible but is now set to help transform our operations'. 'Our vision is to scale this technology across our network, enhancing operational efficiency, improving workplace safety, and supporting our employees by reducing physically demanding tasks,' he said.
