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   Amazon warehouse robots don't quite rival human workers... yet   
      
   Date:   
   Tue, 13 May 2025 17:22:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Although Amazon's warehouse robots aren't quite ready to replace humans,   
   hybrids of humans and robots are proving to be effective.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   After a series of robotics announcements over the past few years, including   
   its latest Vulcan robot which has a sense of touch, Amazon is testing   
   next-generation models named 'Stow' and 'Pick', and their names say it all   
   they're designed to assist in the stowing and picking processes at fulfilment   
   centers.    
      
   However, the company has acknowledged that current robot technology is in no   
   place to replace human workers despite achieving promising results.    
      
   According to its performance testing, humans averaged 243 units per hour   
   compared with robots, at 224 units per hour. The difference is small, but   
   Amazon also highlighted some nuances.   
      
   Amazon's robots are good, but not human good   
      
   Where the robots stand out is in consistency. "It was also found that humans   
   had greater variation in stow rates: people can quickly stow many small items   
   efficiently, but are slower with large items, crouching for lower bins, or   
   when using a step ladder to reach the top bins," Amazon explained .    
      
   The company also observed how humans can perform multiple tasks at once with   
   two hands, such as pulling out a storage bin with one hand and stowing an    
   item with the other  something that the current generation of robots fails to   
   do.    
      
   Still, the gap is closing, with Amazon's robots stowing at greater than 85%   
   success at a similar stow rate to humans across more than half a million   
   tests.    
      
   That said, there are some challenges with implementing robotics across Amazon   
   warehouses, including damages caused by dropping products, inserting products   
   into stowage bins, and crushing lightweight boxes.    
      
   As such, while full human replacement is not feasible yet, hybrid systems are   
   proving to be highly effective, with more work needed on improving handling   
   and reducing damages caused by robots.    
      
   "Deeper research into predicting complex item interaction may be required in   
   scaling manipulation more general," Amazon's researchers added.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/amazon-warehouse-robots-dont-quite-rival-human-w   
   orkers-yet   
      
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