Amazon Tests Humanoid Robots in Warehouses
On Wednesday, Amazon announced it had begun testing a bipedal robot — named Digit — to perform highly repetitive tasks, such as consolidating tones, in its warehouses....
Facts
- On Wednesday, Amazon announced it had begun testing a bipedal robot — named Digit — to perform highly repetitive tasks, such as consolidating tones, in its warehouses.1
- Though it's in the early stages of development, the company says Digit can move, squat, bend, and grasp items using its arms and legs.2
- Developed in partnership with Oregon-based startup Agility Robotics, Amazon claims Digit can work in tandem with its staff 'in spaces and corners of warehouses in novel ways.'3
- While Amazon insists humans are “irreplaceable” in its operations, the tech giant has more than 750K robots working “collaboratively” with its employees.4
- Amazon says the robots have helped create thousands of jobs, including 'in skilled roles, which didn't exist within the company beforehand.'5
Sources: 1Bloomberg, 2About Amazon, 3Evening Standard, 4BBC News and 5Independent.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by The Guardian. This is a threat to Amazon's human workforce. These robots might not be immediately replacing people, but as the technology gets better we know the company isn't going to pass on something that can save it money and cut out the problems that can occur with human error.
- Narrative B, as provided by NDTV. Amazon is simply attempting to change how it moves items through its warehouses so its staff can be free of all the menial tasks and better deliver for its customers. It's also possible that there will be health and safety benefits for human workers. Fears of Amazon using robots to replace people are overblown.
