Amazon has been gravitating toward innovative solutions with its AI-powered robots and drone deliveries. The retail giant claims that with the use of robots in warehouses, the work will be faster and safer for everyone involved.
Robots for Faster Fulfilment
The field of robotics is getting more advanced and Amazon aims to use that to expedite businesses. Through the AI-powered machines known as Sequoia, the company aims to speed up the process of dealing with products by up to 75% and order fulfillment by 25%.
The way it works is that the robot system will use vehicles to transport the products, which will then be put through a sorting machine. This will eliminate the extra work for employees as it uses its hardware and computer vision to identify inventory, as per Engadget.
The robotic process is already used in an Amazon warehouse in Houston. Amazon claims that through the system, workers will be able to avoid certain dangerous tasks as the packages are placed at the waist level of workers. That means that workers won't have to climb up to reach items.
While could be an innovative approach to warehouse operations, it could soon become a threat to jobs. If a robot is able to do the jobs that humans can, Amazon might opt for a one-time investment instead of employing workers they have to pay monthly.
Other than that, reports say that having robots in the workplace has actually been more dangerous for human workers. From 2016 to 2019, there were twice as many injuries in warehouses that had employees working with robots.
However, Amazon denied that the robots made the working environment more dangerous. One other claim from the same publication said that employees needed to scan 400 items per hour instead of 100 after the robots were added to the facility.
Amazon's Drone Deliveries
Other than robot help in warehouses, Amazon plans to use drones for its deliveries as well. The program is starting off in Italy and the UK. The retail giant says that aircraft delivery will begin in late 2024, which aims to deliver 500 million packages every year by the end of the decade.
Amazon Vice President of Prime Air David Carbon says: "We are excited to announce the expansion of Prime Air delivery internationally, for the first time outside the US." adding that they have built a safe and reliable delivery service and have partnered closely with regulators and communities.
The company already has a drone-based delivery system in Texas and California which has been operational for a year. Carbon says that Amazon drones have already delivered thousands of packages, as per The Guardian, and that they have thousands of customers.
The company will open more facilities over time, with the service starting slowly. Carbo also expressed that Amazon is starting the commercial service. "The testing's been done. We know the drone has been proven."
Amazon Chairman Jeff Bezos already mentioned a faster delivery system back in 2023, referring to the use of drones as he said that "it will work, and it will happen, and it's going to be a lot of fun."
