Japan's Fulfillment Center Celebrates Milestone with the Launch of Amazon's One Millionth Robot

As reported by Amazon, the tech giant has reached a notable milestone with the deployment of its one millionth robot, solidifying its status as the leading manufacturer and operator of mobile robotics worldwide.

In a blog entry dated June 30, Scott Dresser, Amazon’s VP of robotics, shared that this milestone robot was sent to a fulfillment center in Japan. The diverse array of robots in Amazon’s arsenal includes Hercules, which can lift and transport up to 1,250 pounds of goods within warehouses. Another notable addition is Proteus—Amazon’s first fully autonomous mobile robot that skillfully navigates around employees while handling heavy carts. Earlier this year in May, they unveiled an innovative robot capable of identifying item sizes and shapes through touch. Additionally, plans were announced in June for testing humanoid delivery robots at their San Francisco location.

Dresser reflected on the evolution since 2012 when they began with just one type of robot designed for moving inventory shelves across warehouse floors. “Now we have a varied fleet aimed at enhancing employee safety and efficiency,” he noted.

Moreover, Dresser introduced DeepFleet—a cutting-edge generative AI model intended to streamline and optimize robotic movements within fulfillment centers.This new technology is expected to enhance travel times for their robotic fleet by 10%, resulting in reduced congestion and quicker processing times for customer orders.

A recent article from The Wall Street Journal highlighted that approximately 75% of Amazon’s global deliveries involve some form of robotic assistance. With projections indicating that their robotic workforce may soon surpass human employees—currently numbering around 1.56 million globally (with about 740,000 working in warehouses)—the future looks increasingly automated at Amazon. In mid-June remarks by CEO Andy jassy suggested potential workforce reductions ahead as generative AI takes on more routine tasks.