Amazon’s ‘Safe’ New Robot Won’t Fix Its Worker Injury Problem
2 years, 5 months ago

Amazon’s ‘Safe’ New Robot Won’t Fix Its Worker Injury Problem

Wired  

Since Amazon began bringing robots to its warehouses in 2014, company executives have repeatedly claimed that they improve worker safety. Amazon didn’t mention that track record late last month when it announced a machine called Proteus, which company officials call their first fully mobile and collaborative robot. We have a lot of focus on that, and it’s on us to design our machines in a way that makes it safer and easier for our employees to use.” Amazon spokesperson Av Zammit said OSHA data showed Amazon’s injury rate declined between 2019 and 2021 while other large retailers saw an increase. Amazon’s Zammit declined to provide details about the sensors Proteus uses to detect humans or objects nearby, or whether the company has tested the robot’s vision system to see if it works fairly for people with different skin tones. Amazon previously kept people and robots apart but began deploying robots that operate around people last year, with machines named after Muppets like Scooter and Kermit.

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How Amazon is trying to make the world fall in love with its robots
2 months, 1 week ago

How Amazon is trying to make the world fall in love with its robots

The Independent  

Amazon’s first fully autonomous robot, Proteus, has a lot of responsibilities. In a blog post published last week, in which Amazon voices the Proteus robot, it said that the “first autonomous mobile robot” title is a “fancy way of saying, I’ve got the smarts and technology that allow me to work independently and safely around people. “This means that I …

Amazon starts testing ‘robot workers’ for warehouses, says it wants to ‘free up staff’
1 year, 2 months ago

Amazon starts testing ‘robot workers’ for warehouses, says it wants to ‘free up staff’

Firstpost  

Amazon may be planning to replace human workers across their warehouses and fulfilment centres with humanoid robots. While Amazon’s move towards automation has raised concerns from labour unions, the company insists that its robotic systems have created “hundreds of thousands of new jobs” within its operations, including 700 different job categories that previously did not exist. Amazon’s efforts to automate …

Bernie Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon workplace safety
1 year, 6 months ago

Bernie Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon workplace safety

LA Times  

Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders launched an investigation into charges of unsafe working conditions at Amazon.com Inc. warehouses across the U.S., raising the possibility of high-profile hearings on complaints over the retailer’s treatment of employees. Sanders, who chairs the Senate committee with jurisdiction over labor laws, portrayed the company as maintaining its position as one of the world’s most valuable companies …

Amazon introduces fully autonomous robot to work alongside humans
2 years, 6 months ago

Amazon introduces fully autonomous robot to work alongside humans

The Hindu  

E-commerce giant Amazon has revealed a new robot, called Proteus, that can operate alongside humans. A short, unlisted YouTube video showed Proteus carrying out its work, and stopping before a human in its path. Proteus is slated to join the outbound ‘GoCart handling areas’ of Amazon fulfillment and sorting centers. “Our vision is to automate GoCart handling throughout the network, …

Amazon Proteus Is The First Fully-Automatic Robot From The Company: All Details
2 years, 6 months ago

Amazon Proteus Is The First Fully-Automatic Robot From The Company: All Details

News 18  

Amazon’s primary business is e-commerce but the company has become equally serious on the hardware side with futuristic robots in play. And now Amazon has unveiled its first-ever fully-autonomous robot called Proteus which relies on Amazon’s technology to navigate around its warehouse with precision and safety. The Proteus robot will be utilised by Amazon at the outbound GoCart handling areas …

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