Meet Amazon's new warehouse robot

🤖 Robots made easy

Meet Digit, a 2 legged robot that could cause a lot less strain in warehouses.

Last year, Digit caused a stir by showing its ability to grab totes (storage bins) from shelves, walk to a conveyor belt, and unload them.

Soon after, Agility Robotics, the company behind Digit, announced pilot programs with Amazon.

🔎 What Amazon’s doing

In October 2023, Amazon began testing Digit at its research facility near Seattle.

• The initial task? Helping with the repetitive chore of tote recycling.

• Once warehouse workers pick all the items from a tote, it becomes empty and needs to be moved.

• This is where Digit takes over the lifting and moving, freeing up human workers for other tasks.

📦️ The new age warehouse worker?

Here's what makes Digit special:

• Digit has grasshopper-like legs that allow it to climb stairs, navigate uneven terrain, and even crouch down to pick up objects from the floor.

• Digit can lift packages up to 35 pounds and walk in all directions.

Digit isn't meant to replace human workers. Amazon emphasizes that Digit will work alongside employees, taking over the more mundane tasks.

Experts believe that robots like Digit can address the ongoing labor shortage in warehouses, especially for companies with a wide variety of products or changing order demands.

More importantly, these robots can take over the physically demanding and repetitive tasks, reducing the risk of injuries for human workers.