Amazon is accelerating its robotics program with an effort to test humanoid robots that could someday deliver packages, another step toward automating the last mile of delivery.
The e-commerce giant has introduced a special training center where different forms of humanoid robots will be put through tough tests to evaluate their performance in actual delivery scenarios. The move is part of Amazon’s continued warehouse automation process and is a possible change in how packages are being delivered to customer doorsteps.
Amazon Building on Previous Robot Tests
Amazon is not starting from scratch with humanoid robots. Amazon has already been experimenting with autonomous robots in its warehouse business, including testing of Agility Robotics’ humanoid robot, “Digit.” Built originally to ride inside delivery vans and deal with packages, Digit shows the kind of technology Amazon is currently trying to roll out across its business.
The testing lab will pit various robotic platforms against each other, including a $16,000 China-manufactured one made by Unitree. The multi-platform strategy means Amazon is seriously considering every robotic alternative before making a high-volume deployment decision.
What does it mean for Workers?
The job implications are important. Amazon already employs hundreds of thousands of workers engaged in delivery activities around the world, from warehouse workers to drivers who bring packages to doorsteps. Although the company has not issued pending statements about replacing humans with machines, the development of delivery robots definitely suggests a movement toward greater automation in the final delivery stage of packages.
The timing comes as labor expenses continue to increase and companies are still struggling to find and keep delivery drivers. Robots never get tired, don’t require benefits, or have to be paid overtime, which makes them appealing substitutes for performing drudge labor.
Ambitious Robotics Vision of Amazon
Amazon’s robotics plans go far beyond simply replacing delivery personnel. The company made a big declaration of its automation plans when it purchased autonomous car startup Zoox in 2020 for more than $1 billion. The purchase signals Amazon’s plan to fully automate the entire package delivery, from warehouse sorting of packages to final delivery at the doorstep.
The Zoox acquisition places Amazon in a position to potentially develop driverless delivery cars that would be used in conjunction with humanoid robots to establish a fully autonomous delivery system. Imagine driverless cars driving to a suburb while humanoid robots bring the final packages to individual residences.
Testing Multiple Solutions
The lineup of robots Amazon is piloting in its warehouse is evidence of strategic automation. Rather than betting on a single technology, the company is piloting different makers and capabilities to determine the optimal solutions to multiple delivery challenges.
The $16,000 Unitree robot is on the low end of the humanoid robotics cost spectrum, with the partnerships with Agility Robotics providing more feature-rich but potentially more costly choices. The lineup gives Amazon the chance to test different price points and capabilities against real-world performance requirements.
Industry Impact and Future Outlook
Amazon’s robotics moves tend to foretell larger industry trends. Being the company that essentially pioneered contemporary conventions of speedy, dependable delivery, Amazon’s embracing of humanoid robots may make similar investment in other areas of the logistics industry happen more quickly.
Other big logistics companies will likely be watching these developments. If Amazon can make humanoid robots work for delivery, then others may be compelled to adopt similar technology simply to remain competitive.
The technology also still has issues to address, such as navigating through complex spaces, accommodating varying weights and dimensions of packages, and dealing with customer encounters and property access. However, Amazon’s methodical testing strategy indicates the company is set to overcome them.
As these tests expand, the findings may reshape not only Amazon’s business but also the whole delivery business. The integration of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots is a move towards the drastic transition to fully automated logistics networks, which would revolutionize the delivery of millions of packages daily.
In the meantime, human delivery drivers remain a part of Amazon’s business, but Amazon’s investment in robotics testing suggests radical changes are coming to the delivery process sooner than most expect.
