Amazon has introduced Vulcan, its most advanced robot to date, equipped with a sense of touch, at the 'Delivering the Future' event in Dortmund, Germany. This innovative robot is designed to improve warehouse operations and assist human employees.
Vulcan utilizes sensors and force feedback to 'feel' its surroundings, enabling it to pick, move, and sort items with dexterity. This allows Vulcan to handle approximately 75% of items in Amazon's warehouses, adapting its grip to different shapes, weights, and textures. The robot has been trained on thousands of real-world objects and learns from its own failures, mimicking how humans develop motor skills.
Vulcan is already operational in fulfillment centers in the US and Germany, with plans to expand to the UK and other European sites in 2025. Amazon aims to scale up Vulcan's use across its fulfillment network over the next two years. The company emphasizes that Vulcan is designed to work alongside employees, enhancing safety and allowing workers to focus on tasks requiring reasoning and problem-solving.