Amazon, with its vast empire of warehouses and fulfillment centers, is aiming to automate the process of preparing packages as much as possible. At the same time, the principle of storing many types of products, mixed together on common multi-tiered shelves, makes it difficult for robots to retrieve the right product, leaving people with rather grueling work in the warehouse. A new Amazon robot with a sense of touch promises to help with this, which can identify products by touch.
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The company recently unveiled the Vulcan robot at a customer service center in Hamburg, Germany. The robot is said to already be in use at the facility, as well as at one in Spokane, Washington, USA. Sensors on the movable joints at the end of its suction cup arm allow the robot to sense the edges and contours of products by touch. This allows it to discern products on lower and upper shelves, which are difficult for humans to access. The recognition system works in conjunction with artificial intelligence, which helps it learn.
«”Amazon stores a lot of different products in these bins, so you have to dig around in them to get the specific item you need to fulfill an order,” says Ken Goldberg, a roboticist at the University of California, Berkeley. “That’s been very difficult up until now, so I’m curious to see what this new system does.”
As Amazon admits, the company created a software interpretation of torque from the robot’s “hand” sensors and linked the readings with AI. This data was included in the control and motion prediction circuit, achieving a good result.
However, the company understands that it will be unrealistic to achieve 100% automation of production in the warehouse. Amazon will consider it a complete success if the work on completing orders is automated by at least 75%. In the company’s warehouses, robots will cooperate with people, complementing each other and helping to optimize work. For example, people help robots restore orientation in the event of certain failures or when executing algorithms incorrectly accepted by the program. Mutual assistance and help.