Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a new robotic system that’s capable of performing multiple tasks at once in the company’s warehouses.
The system, called Blue Jay, is made up of a series of robotic arms that are suspended from a conveyor belt-like track. Those arms are tipped with suction-cup devices that allow them to grab items of varying shapes and sizes.
Blue Jay combines “what used to be three separate robotic stations into one streamlined workplace that can pick, sort, and consolidate in a single place,” Amazon said in a blog.
The robotic system’s goal is to assist employees with otherwise strenuous tasks “while creating greater efficiency in less physical space,” the company said.
Amazon is testing Blue Jay at one of its warehouses in South Carolina. So far, the company has observed that the system is able to pick, pack, stow and consolidate “approximately 75% of items we store at our sites.”
Blue Jay joins a growing fleet of robotic machinery being deployed across Amazon’s legions of warehouses. Over the past several years, Amazon has debuted robots capable of handling different tasks, ranging from removing items from shelves to sorting boxes. In May, it debuted “Vulcan,” a robotic system that has a sense of touch.
Amazon’s warehouse automation efforts were largely jumpstarted by its $775 million acquisition of Kiva Systems in 2012.
The announcement comes as Amazon’s warehouse automation has come under growing scrutiny, particularly over how the technology is impacting its sprawling frontline workforce.
The New York Times on Tuesday published an investigation showing that Amazon’s automation team expects that it can avoid hiring more than 160,000 people in the U.S. by 2027, amounting to savings of about 30 cents on every item that Amazon packs and delivers. The report was based on interviews and internal strategy documents, the Times said.
In response to the report, an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC that the documents offer an “incomplete and misleading picture of our plans.”
“In this instance, the materials appear to reflect the perspective of just one team and don’t represent our overall hiring strategy across our various operations business lines — now or moving forward,” the spokesperson said in an email.
As the nation’s second-largest private employer, Amazon’s automation playbook could become a bellwether for the broader job market and other corporations. The company had more than 1.54 million employees globally at the end of the second quarter. That figure excludes delivery drivers, which are contracted through third-party firms.
The company on Wednesday said that employees remain “at the center” of its robotics development. Amazon said its goal is to “reduce physically demanding tasks, simplify decisions and open new career opportunities” for workers.
Amazon has sought to highlight how increasing automation in its facilities will lead to employees adopting “more rewarding” roles within the company. It offers an apprenticeship program in mechatronics and robotics, which involves honing skills around maintaining and monitoring robotic machinery.
WATCH: Meet Vulcan, Amazon’s new stowing robot that can feel what it touches
