Automated Amazon warehouses, a wonder and technology marvel..

My understanding of Amazon AI based automated warehouses all started with classroom discussions and with the fact that after an MBA from IESE Barcelona, my son was going to join Amazon in their warehouse in Manchester MAN8 for training.  

 

Kiva robots

When I went through Amazon site information and articles from technical sources on the Internet, the topic became more interesting which made me do research more and prepare this small write-up for my students. This is new knowledge, thought of sharing. 

 

The true fact is without AI and robot intervention, Amazon could never ever have imagined to handle 400 million item shipments a day around the world. Even humans have a limitation in handling products. Scaling up is a real challenge in large scale applications and AI based robots, is the only solution. Amazon is, no doubt, going to give leadership to the world in handling super large scale systems benefiting the public and adding value to the whole ecosystem.

Difference between conventional and modern warehouses : Conventional warehouses have fixed storage shelves and moving pickers. In Amazon we have moving shelves (mobile shelving units with moving robots under the shelves raising them) and human stowers and pickers. Lot of sensors and lights help stowers keep or stow and pickers pick right items from mobile shelves. 

Proteus robots

Amazon also has a different storage philosophy, dictated by its over dependence on AI. Unlike conventional warehouse shelves where all items of a fixed product type or manufacturer are grouped together, in Amazon warehouses they are randomly placed in different mobile shelves at different levels, decided by AI algorithms.

The AI algorithm decides where the similar items are to be kept, also helping pickers retrieve items faster. 🤔😳😟

 

Click here to find how Amazon Robotics develops sophisticated machinery and software to optimise efficiency at its fulfilment centres.

Meet Proteus, Amazon's first fully autonomous mobile robot, smart, safe and collaborative ... click here..

Proteus autonomously moves through our facilities using advanced safety, perception, and navigation technology developed by Amazon. The robot was built to be automatically directed to perform its work and move around employees—meaning it has no need to be confined to restricted areas. - www.aboutamazon.com

Click here to watch the video of old generation Kiva robots on the Amazon Fulfillment centre warehouse shopfloor. Amazon acquired Kiva systems in March of 2012 for about $770 million and this acquisition took Amazon warehouse automation to great heights. The Proteus introduction is to new levels unheard of.

The public fear that Amazon is replacing human workers is totally misplaced, according to Amazon insiders. The Amazon warehouse robots are only enabling the human workers inside the warehouses to do tasks with the help of these AI based robots, which otherwise would never have been possible. The real fact is automating the Amazon shop floor has helped them retain the existing warehouse staff and also increase the warehouse operations efficiency manifold.

 

Kiva robot

In spite of having about 5,20,000 robotic drive units around the world as of June 2022, Amazon has over the last couple of years added almost a million new jobs too.  Robots have helped ease the human's job and helped scale up Amazon's product handling to almost 400 million daily as of now. Click here for an article on the Amazon journey from Kiva to the more Proteus advanced robotic systems ..

Click here for an interesting Guardian article which exposes the risk the society now faces from too much automation at Amazon .. This article from Amazon (click here) traces their 10 year journey from 2012 to 2022 how robots helped them to trace, move the products and do it safely too.

Amazon would have been a great organisation with just robots, but to have AI and ML mediated robots has helped Amazon scale their operations to unheard of levels and they handle almost 400 million shipments daily across the world.

 

George..