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New Amazon Humanoid Robot, Called Digit, Is Already in Testing Phase at Distribution Center and Promises to Contribute to Box Loading Tasks.
Amazon, a giant in the technology and e-commerce sector, revealed a new addition to its automation arsenal: Digit, a humanoid robot designed to optimize the package sorting process in the company’s distribution centers. Capable of moving agilely, grasping objects, and handling various items, Digit represents a significant step in Amazon’s efforts to enhance the efficiency of its logistics operations.
This innovation is part of a broader strategy by the tech giant to heavily invest in robotics and artificial intelligence, aiming to transform and accelerate its supply chains.
Digit Will Help in Collecting and Moving Empty Boxes
Instead of wheels to move, Amazon’s humanoid robot has two legs, allowing it to go up and down stairs and access locations on different floors. For now, it is just a prototype being tested in Seattle, United States.
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Initially, Digit will help in collecting and moving empty boxes after employees have emptied the products inside them. Subsequently, due to its size and shape, the humanoid robot may be used in other activities related to object handling. It is worth noting that this week, Amazon presented Sequoia, a robotic system that uses artificial intelligence to identify and separate orders.
Has the Introduction of New Technologies Not Led to Job Losses at Amazon?
The multinational argues that the introduction of robotic technologies, like Digit, in its work processes has not led to job reductions, but rather enabled its growth and expansion. According to Amazon, automation aims to free employees to better serve customers.
For Tye Brady, Chief Technologist at Amazon Robotics, in a press conference in Seattle, people are essential to the processes and he believes it is not feasible to have completely automated warehouses in the future.
Controversy Surrounding the Arrival of Amazon’s Automated Robot
In a statement, Amazon stated that over the past 10 years, thousands of jobs have been created in operations, including 700 new types of jobs in qualified roles that did not exist previously.
Currently, Amazon has over 750,000 robots working alongside people, taking on highly repetitive tasks. However, a union accused Amazon of treating its workers like robots for years and warned that automation will lead to job losses.
According to Stuart Richards, organizer of the British union GMB, Amazon’s automation with Digit is a rushed race toward job loss. Hundreds of jobs have already vanished in the distribution centers.
In addition to Digit, Amazon has other robots announced such as Proteus, developed to move large loads in the company’s distribution centers in the United States, Cardinal, which quickly and accurately sorts packages in the distribution center, Sparrow, capable of detecting, selecting, and handling individual products in the company’s warehouses, and Sequoia, developed to expedite order fulfillment and identify and store inventory.
Other Humanoid Robots
Besides Amazon’s humanoid robot, there is a race among companies and major investors in the field to develop more incredible machines with increasingly individual and unique functionalities and capabilities. Besides Amazon, companies such as Tesla, Xiaomi, and Diligent Robotics are also gaining prominence.
When presented by Tesla, the Optimus robot walked onto the stage by itself and waved to the audience. It was initially introduced as a robot capable of performing various human tasks.
Later, it was developed to replace humans on vehicle assembly lines and even to sell products. The CyberOne, from Xiaomi, stands 1.77m tall and weighs 52 kg, featuring artificial intelligence that can identify up to 85 types of ambient sounds and 45 types of human emotions.
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