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Amazon's Vulcan Robots Now Stow Items Faster Than Humans

(spectrum.ieee.org)
209 points Luc | 1 comments | 09 May 25 11:18 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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omneity ◴[09 May 25 11:53 UTC] No.43935797[source]▶
Warehouses is definitely not where I expected robots with retractable blades to first appear.

The demo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWXco05eK28

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krapp ◴[09 May 25 11:56 UTC] No.43935812[source]▶
That's still far slower than a human being, and those bins are far too neat.
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dlt713705 ◴[09 May 25 12:12 UTC] No.43935901[source]▶
The challenge is not only stowing objects. It is also optimizing space and keeping it clean. In that matter robots are faster and better.
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krapp ◴[09 May 25 12:22 UTC] No.43935960[source]▶
Optimizing space and trying to keep things neat is a futile effort. Pickers and counters are constantly pulling things out of the bins and putting them back in, and during high demand it's a chaotic mess. If there are going to be robots being this meticulous at every step of the process, then it's too slow.

There's a reason human beings are worked to the point of exhaustion in these warehouses - the goal is to move as much product as fast as possible. Quality and productivity are at cross purposes, and between the two only the latter makes money.

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dlt713705 ◴[09 May 25 12:27 UTC] No.43935998[source]▶
That is why, in the end, only robots will remain. They are inexhaustible and strictly meticulous in all circumstances.
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krapp ◴[09 May 25 12:29 UTC] No.43936008[source]▶
Robots aren't inexhaustible. They break down a lot and are far more expensive to repair and maintain than a human being.
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1. FirmwareBurner ◴[09 May 25 13:24 UTC] No.43936458[source]▶
>and are far more expensive to repair and maintain than a human being

Fillpy the robot will not:

  - need vacations
  - go on maternity leave
  - call in sick
  - steal from work
  - be rude to customers
  - go to work hungover from drinking
  - come in high/stoned at work
  - sue you for X,Y,Z
  - sexually harass colleagues
  - go on strike
  - start a union
All those pale in comparison to repair costs. That's why companies are pushing for automation. Because Flippy does its job quietly and diligently 24/7 without complaining.