Amazon is testing the use of humanoid, six-foot-tall robots at their warehouses, causing more fears of employee displacement. The experiment will be conducted at Amazon’s BFI1 experimental facility in Sumner, Washington.
The robot, known as Digit, is a two-legged robot that is capable of grasping and lifting items at Amazon facilities. Digit has two arms, two legs, a blue chest and two square lights for eyes. It can move forward and backward, turn around and bend down. It can reach, grab and lift the iconic yellow tote boxes of Amazon.
The company claims Digit will help human warehouse workers with tote recycling by picking up and moving empty totes once all items in them have been removed.
To create Digit, Amazon’s robotics subsidiary, Amazon Robotics, partnered with the tech startup Agility Robotics. This startup, based in Oregon, focuses on creating robots for logistics and warehouse businesses. Amazon, through the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, provided Agility Robotics with $150 million in funding to help create Digit.




Leave a comment