这个五层楼高的仓库代表了亚马逊在机器人技术方面的最新进展。亚马逊对机器人的研究已经有十多年了，最早可以追溯到2012年他们收购了一个叫Kiva的公司。自那以后，亚马逊一直致力于将机器人技术融入其日常运营中。如今，亚马逊将采用全新的方法，将机器人和AI更深入地整合到工作流程中。Amazon announced the construction of a new distribution center, and the number of robots working will surge tenfold. At the same time, Amazon has also introduced the most advanced Sequoia inventory system to improve efficiency, load more products, and make it easier for workers to work. But that doesn't mean robots will replace humans, because warehouses will also employ many human workers.
On Wednesday, October 9, EST, Amazon announced at the “Designing the Future” event that it plans to build new warehouses as distribution centers using robots to help deliver express deliveries.
The first “next generation distribution center” was built in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. This warehouse is extremely large, covering an area of 3 million square feet, which is equivalent to 55 soccer fields.
This five-story warehouse represents Amazon's latest advancements in robotics. Amazon has been researching robots for over a decade, and the earliest dates back to 2012 when they bought a company called Kiva. Since then, Amazon has been working to incorporate robotics into its everyday operations. Today, Amazon will take a fresh approach to integrating robots and AI more deeply into the workflow.
Although Amazon hasn't revealed the exact number of robots the new warehouse will deploy, it has indicated that it will be 10 times more than the standard warehouse. Currently, Amazon has deployed nearly 1 million robots in US warehouses.
Amazon now uses many types of robots, including robots (AMRs) like Kiva that can move around the warehouse by itself. There are also robotic arms, named Robin, Cardinal, and Sparrow.
Additionally, Amazon has introduced a new inventory system called Sequoia, known as the “most advanced multi-layer container inventory system,” which allows workers to access goods faster and more safely. In the “next generation distribution center,” the Sequoia system is expected to hold more than 30 million items.
Amazon is making this new system bigger and able to hold more stuff. The current new Sequoia system is 5 times larger than the first Sequoia system deployed in Houston last year. To achieve this goal, Amazon hired Pieter Abbeel, Peter Chen, and Rocky Duan, the three founders of Covariant in August. Their addition will help Amazon deploy AI on all robots and systems in the warehouse.
Now, Amazon wants to test whether these robot systems can work well together in a warehouse in Louisiana, because it was very difficult for different robots to work together before.
Despite introducing highly automated systems, Amazon emphasizes that human employees continue to play an important role in these new processes. Amazon expects to hire 2,500 people once the Louisiana warehouse is fully operational.
