While Amazon operates with hundreds of thousands of robots in its various facilities, not every one of its robotics endeavors proves to be a triumph.
The e-commerce behemoth has ceased its Blue Jay warehouse robotics initiative mere months following its public introduction, a development first reported by Business Insider and subsequently corroborated by TechCrunch.
Introduced in October, Blue Jay, a robot equipped with multiple arms for sorting and transporting packages, was slated for deployment in the company’s same-day delivery centers. Amazon had been piloting these robots at a South Carolina site and noted that Blue Jay’s development time was considerably shorter—approximately one year—compared to its other warehouse robots, attributing this rapid progress to breakthroughs in AI.
Terrance Clark, an Amazon spokesperson, informed TechCrunch that Blue Jay was initially rolled out as a prototype, a detail not explicitly stated in the company’s initial press release.
Amazon intends to leverage Blue Jay’s fundamental technology for alternative robotics “manipulation programs,” relocating personnel who contributed to Blue Jay to other assignments.
Clark stated in an email to TechCrunch, “We continuously explore innovative methods to enhance the customer experience and foster a safer, more efficient, and more engaging work environment for our staff.” He added, “In this particular instance, we are actually fast-tracking the implementation of the core technology derived from Blue Jay, with almost all of its technological components being transferred and continuing to assist employees throughout our operational network.”
Last year, Amazon additionally introduced the Vulcan robot, designed for use within the storage areas of its warehouses. Vulcan is characterized by its two arms: one is purposed for repositioning and shifting items within a compartment, while the other features a camera and suction cups for grasping products. It is claimed that Vulcan possesses the ability to “feel” objects upon contact, having been trained using data collected from actual interactions.
Amazon has been cultivating its in-house robotics initiative since 2012, following its acquisition of Kiva Systems, a robotics firm whose warehouse automation technology became the cornerstone of Amazon’s fulfillment activities. By last July, the company’s robot count in its warehouses surpassed 1 million.