Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 7.67
Amazon is pushing forward with its plans for a drone delivery fleet. Today it announced that it’s begun deliveries to two customers in the UK, and will be expanding that to dozens, possibly hundreds, in the coming months. The service is restricted to small items for now, focusing on delivering packages up to five pounds in 30 minutes or less. On December 7th, 2016, Prime Air delivered its first order - an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn - using a highly automated drone. According to a press release, it took 13 minutes from customer click to package delivery…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 5.27
Retail e-commerce distributor Amazon recently began delivering packages via drone to the West Valley of the Phoenix, Ariz. Metro Area. Customers who live near the same-day delivery site in Tolleson, Ariz. and purchase an eligible item weighing five pounds or less can have it delivered by drone in under an hour. Since starting its Prime Air last mile delivery service in 2022, Amazon has delivered thousands of items to customers in less than an hour. In 2023, the e-commerce distributor also began delivering prescription medications in partnership with Amazon Pharmacy to customers in College Station, Texas. Amazon said it had…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 4.82
…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 4.36
…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 4.19
Autonomous Drone Technology When Amazon announced earlier this year that they were evolving their Prime two-day shipping offer in the U.S. to a one-day program, the response was terrific. But they (Amazon) know customers are always looking for something better, more convenient, and there may be times when one-day delivery may not be the right choice. Can Amazon Deliver Packages to Customers Even Faster? They think the answer is yes, and one way they’re pursuing that goal is by pioneering autonomous drone technology. Today at Amazon’s MARS Conference (Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics, and Space) in Las Vegas, they unveiled their…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.61
In an-all cash transaction of $61 per share, Amazon.com Inc. recently announced that it plans to acquire consumer robotics company iRobot Corp. in a deal valued at $1.7 billion. “We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” said Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices, in a statement. “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.51
Amazon Prime Air as an “Air Carrier” As reported by Bloomberg, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated Amazon Prime Air as an “air carrier,” the company said Monday. That allows Amazon to begin its first commercial deliveries in the U.S. under a trial program, using the high-tech devices it unveiled for that purpose last year. Amazon and its competitors must still clear some imposing regulatory and technical hurdles before small packages holding the likes of cat food or toothpaste can routinely be dropped at people’s homes. But the action shows that they’ve convinced the government they’re ready to operate in…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.41
Business Insider’s scoop on Amazon creating an Uber for Trucking app isn’t a surprise. LogTech venture capital investments have been growing rapidly these past years, as recently reported by CB Insights. What’s more, Alibaba founder Jack Ma announced earlier this year that the Chinese giant would invest nearly $16 billion dollars in logistics over the 5 to 8 years, while a Chinese logistics provider in which it invested $256 million dollars is contemplating an IPO. To top it off, Uber’s own Uber for Trucking app was soft launched just weeks ago. The takeaway is clear - companies that have focused…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 3.04
…are also doubling down on creating autonomous vehicles. Now Amazon could be eyeing driverless car technology as a way to get items to people's doors faster, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. “Amazon.com Inc. has created a team focused on driverless-vehicle technology to help navigate the retail giant’s role in the shake-up of transportation, according to people briefed on the matter.” The initiative, still in its early phases, could help the Seattle-based company overcome one of its biggest logistical complications and costs: delivering packages quickly. Amazon could use autonomous vehicles including trucks, forklifts and drones to…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 2.29
Amazon Robotic Fulfillment Center, North Haven, Connecticut Opened: June 2019 (watch video) Size: 855,000 square feet Dock Doors: 62 SKUs: 1 million + Throughput: 1 million + orders per day during peak Shifts: 2 10-hour shifts per day, with downtime for maintenance between shifts Employees: 2,500 full-time associates, each working 4 shifts per week Primary Material Handling Equipment: Goods-to-person picking on a four-level pick module enabled by Amazon Robotics; ten miles of conveyor and sortation; cubing and weighing, automatic labeling, spiral conveyors and trailer-loading conveyor Area of Coverage: The facility’s primary role is the fulfillment of Prime orders in southern…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.67
…time. The type of certification Wing received as an air carrier is the same one granted to charter airlines and small air-cargo haulers and means it can fly longer ranges and charge customers. Wing’s drones have a wingspan of about 3 feet and weigh approximately 11 pounds, and they can carry packages that weigh up to a little more than 3 pounds. They fly up to 400 feet above the ground. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in a statement said the approval was an “important step forward for the safe testing and integration of drones into our economy.” She also emphasized…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 1.63
…to begin food delivery in Virginia using the same drone technology it now uses in food logistics in Australia. Amazon introduced its Prime Air delivery drone last June, with the intent to deliver food from the Amazon platform. Finally, Uber Eats is testing the first ever commercial application of drone food delivery in high-density urban areas. The initial customer tests will showcase what the future of food logistics may look like for millions of consumers worldwide.