Amazon Vulkan is the new robotic system of the electronic commerce giant. Presented at the event «Delivering the Future» In Dortmund, Germany, the company says it represents an important advance in robotics for its logistics centers as its First robot with a sense of touch.
Few companies can boast the number of robots that Amazon has, logical to respond to their commercial activities. The start of Amazon in Robotics began in 2012 when the company acquired the specialized company, Kiva Systems. Since then, Amazon has developed, produced and implemented More than 750,000 robots in its logistics network. The objective pursued with these new robotic technologies, which Amazon says is key to its logistics centers, is to favor safety in the workplace, help employees store, pack and manage customer orders and allow fast orders.
Amazon Vulkan, now with touch
Standard industrial robots often lack the ability to detect contact, which can cause damage or simply stop by finding unexpected obstacles. Amazon Vulcan aims to overcome this limitation through Advanced Engineering and Physical Artificial Intelligence that allows you to understand when and how it interacts with objects.
Aaron Parness, Director of Applied Sciences at Amazon, qualifies Vulcan as a fundamental advance: «It’s not just about seeing the world, it’s about feeling itenabling capacities that until now were impossible for Amazon robots ».
Vulcan uses a combination of camera and suction cup to collect the items, which guarantees that it only takes the correct one. Amazon states that Vulcan can collect and store around 75% of the articles stored in their logistics centers at a speed comparable to that of human employees.
A key application of Vulcan is the manipulation of items within crowded storage modules. These modules can contain a wide variety of items, grouped close together. A senseless robot would have difficulty maneuvering in such small spaces without damaging the content. Vulcan uses force feedback sensors and specialized arm end tools, which basically consist of pallets that hold the items and a tool to move them gently, adjusting the grip force and the applied force to avoid damage when collecting or storing the merchandise.
Vulcan integration also seeks Improve workers’ safety and ergonomics. The robot is being implemented to manipulate items stored in the highest and lowest areas of the storage modules, tasks that generally require that employees use scissors or beattled. By assigning these physically demanding positions to Vulcan, the company expects human workers to concentrate on tasks at more comfortable heights, which could reduce tension and improve general workflow.
Amazon Vulkan will be implemented over the next years in the logistics centers that the company has in Europe and the United States. One more step towards the ‘smart industry’ where the most advanced robots will have the capacity to work autonomously and will have the integration of AI systems.
