Found in Robotics White Papers & Archives, with a score of 20.17
April 16, 2021
…have drastically increased over the last few years. With Amazon as the number-one online retailer offering free one-day shipping–and, most recently, two-hour shipping–consumers expect their packages to arrive immediately and free of charge. This shift in expectations has raised the bar for fulfillment: If companies can’t keep up with Amazon’s standards, for example, they risk losing market share to competitors that can. Prior to the pandemic, retail, e-commerce, and business-to-business (B2B) fulfillment operators were increasingly turning to collaborative mobile robots to gain operational flexibility to support growth and contain labor requirements. The pandemic accelerated the surge of automation needs.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.95
April 21, 2022
Amazon.com Inc. is not only a major user and developer of robotics, but it is also now an investor. BionicHIVE, which has developed an autonomous robot that works with existing warehouse infrastructure, today said it has received unspecified funding from the new Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund. “With Amazon’s funding and support, BionicHIVE is growing its team and operations, establishing [a] U.S. footprint to expand its customer base and scale go-to-market, as well as increasing R&D,” said Ilan Reingold, CEO of BionicHIVE. “We couldn’t have asked for a better company whose investment is a validation of the unique approach and capabilities…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.95
April 11, 2019
…Google, Toyota, Qualcomm, General Atomics and Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics). Founded in 2015, Canvas has already showcased some impressive technologies, including a fully autonomous cart system that positions the startup as a direct competitor with the likes of Bay Area-based Fetch. Canvas Technology raised a $15 million Series A led by Playground Global. Canvas is led by Jonathan McQueen, who spent six years at Qualcomm. The Canvas Autonomous Cart was on display at Playground’s open house roughly this time last year, doing an impressive job avoiding people and obstacles in the crowded space. The system utilizes 3D imaging and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 19.29
October 25, 2023
A week after Amazon.com Inc. provided a peek at the robots it is currently testing, Agility Robotics Inc. confirmed that Amazon's research and development center near Seattle will begin testing its Digit bipedal robot. “Digit’s size and shape are well-suited for buildings that are designed for humans, and we believe that there is a big opportunity to scale a mobile manipulator solution,” explained Emily Vetterick, director of engineering at Amazon. “Collaborative robotics solutions like Digit support workplace safety and help Amazon deliver to customers faster, while creating new opportunities and career paths for our employees.” Agility Robotics noted that the…
Found in Robotics Companies & Businesses, with a score of 18.87
January 11, 2022
Verity AG's team includes Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics) founders and ETH Zurich engineers, systems specialists, and data scientists. It also has dedicated professionals representing more than 20 nationalities, a variety of advanced degrees, and experience from innovative companies. The company claimed that it has designed, built, and deployed the world’s first fully automated inventory tracking system powered by self-flying drones.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.80
June 26, 2020
Amazon Acquires Zoox Amazon has taken its boldest step yet into self-driving vehicles, acquiring six-year-old start-up Zoox, the company announced today. Amazon said the deal will help bring Zoox’s “vision of autonomous ride-hailing to reality.” Zoox will continue to operate as a standalone business within Amazon, with CEO Aicha Evans and Jesse Levinson, the company’s co-founder and CTO, continuing to lead the team, Amazon said. “Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO, Worldwide Consumer. “Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we're excited to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.68
August 01, 2017
Amazon has announced the results of its 2017 Amazon Robotics Challenge with winners hailing from Australia, the U.S., and Singapore. The Australian Centre for Robotic Vision succeed in the Grand Championship Combined Task to win the overall Challenge with Nanyang Technological University of Singapore winning the Pick Task and MIT Princeton winning the Stow Task. The Australian Centre for Robotic Vision developed their own Cartesian robot “Cartman” for the challenge. Theirs was the only Cartesian robot at the event, and it is believed to be the least expensive contestant as well. Cartman can move along three axes at right angles…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.50
October 04, 2016
…chain stakeholders, when it comes to global e-commerce bellwether Amazon, continues to be just how far it will spread its wings in terms of expanding its logistics and supply chain operations and processes. Regardless of what people say or think, there are very real signs that Amazon is not going to sit on the sidelines and let logistics come to them, as, conversely, in many cases, it is really coming to logistics. Two quick examples of this include its 2012 $775 million acquisition of Kiva Systems, a developer of mobile-robotic solutions that automate e-Commerce order fulfillment and warehouse operations, and…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.29
November 11, 2022
…at its robotics manufacturing facility yesterday in Westborough, Mass., Amazon.com Inc. announced Sparrow, its new robotic arm designed to complete product-handling tasks. “Sparrow is the first robotic system in our warehouses that can detect, select, and handle individual products in our inventory,” the company said in a blog post. “Sparrow represents a major advancement in the state-of-the-art technology of industrial robotics. Leveraging computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI), Sparrow can recognize and handle millions of items.” An Amazon spokesperson told TechCrunch the robot can recognize about 65% of the company’s product inventory and takes advantage of sensors to identify the…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.28
February 09, 2018
As reported by The Verge, Amazon will finally launch its shipping service for businesses in Los Angeles in the “coming weeks,” according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The service, dubbed Shipping with Amazon or SWA, will directly compete with companies like United Parcel Service Inc. and Fed Ex Corp. However, it will be initially restricted to companies selling goods on Amazon’s own marketplace. No doubt executives at companies FedEx (NYSE: FDX) and UPS (NYSE: UPS) are no doubt waking up to frantic phone calls about what their industry might look like in five years. Read: Amazon's…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 18.18
October 07, 2022
…as part of an internal organizational program called DRIVE. Amazon.com Inc. also announced this week that it is scaling back its own robot delivery service. “Although robotics and automation are key pillars of our innovation strategy, Roxo did not meet necessary near-term value requirements for DRIVE,” Krishnasam wrote. “Although we are ending the research and development efforts, Roxo served a valuable purpose: to rapidly advance our understanding and use of robotic technology.” In an e-mailed statement to Robotics 24/7, a FedEx representative confirmed that the company is stepping back from the program as it focuses on “several nearer-term opportunities.” Memphis,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 17.20
January 06, 2023
…navigate their homes. The company has teamed up with Amazon for one of its demos and has placed an Amazon Echo Show 10 on top of its Labrador Retriever robot to showcase its ability to be integrated with other technologies. “On its own, the Echo Show 10 is an HD smart display with the Alexa. The device can rotate toward a person when they say the wake word (“Alexa”), helping the screen stay in view as they move around the room,” the company said in a press release. “When combined with the Retriever, this enables a new degree of freedom…
