Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.98
Amazon's purchase of Kiva Systems in 2012 has had a ripple effect on the entire robotics industry. In the wake of the purchase, numerous robotics companies emerged, and interest and investment in warehouse robotics began to grow. Quiet Logistics, which had been a customer of Kiva's, decided to start making its own autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and would go on to found Locus Robotics in 2014. A number of former Kiva Systems employees banded together to start 6 River Systems in 2015. Other AMR makers that were founded around that time include Geek+, Fetch Robotics, and IAM Robotics. But how…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.62
…adapt to sudden changes. My e-commerce journey began at Amazon in the U.S., where I used my skills in mathematics to optimize supply chains. It was while working at Amazon that I realized shipping is the biggest cost for many online retailers. I also realized that most of the continuous improvements were coming from the hardware side. What was lacking was the sophisticated software to make different hardware work together more efficiently. Advanced software allows automation flexibility of a type that has never been possible until now. One option it enables is the integration of mobile robots from different vendors,…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.59
…humanoid robot. Cardenas spoke with Robotics 24/7 about how Amazon's recent purchase of iRobot and Apptronik's own work are showing the way to the future of robotics. Amazon iRobot acquisition an industry bellwether Amazon is one of the biggest brands in the world, and iRobot is the best-known consumer robotics vendor. What does the acquisition mean in terms of scale and getting robots into people's daily lives? Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik Cardenas: This is really good for the robotics industry as a whole. For robotics to go to the next level and improve our lives, it will require more…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.58
…and CEO of Stord. “Today's buying expectations set by Amazon and the rise of the omnichannel shopper have placed immense pressure on companies to maintain more nimble and efficient supply chains.” “This new funding and the outstanding Fulfillment Works team bring us that much closer to our goal of being the last logistics partner businesses will ever need,” he added. “We want every company to have world-class, Prime-like supply chains.” Stord said it provides a logistics platform for warehousing, freight, and fulfillment. The company's leadership includes former operators from Amazon, XPO, and Manhattan Associates. It claimed that hundreds of business-to-business…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.54
…Pete Blair, vice president of marketing and sales. Donikian has experience launching and growing teams and products for Wayfair, Amazon Robotics, Amazon Pay, and Alexa. Blair brings go-to-market strategy and execution from his previous roles leading marketing at Berkshire Grey, Applause App Quality, and Kiva Systems/Amazon Robotics.
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.14
…within the next few years. Legacy players such as Amazon, FedEx, and Postmates are also investing in autonomous vehicles and mobile robots, bringing their systems into more cities and countries regularly. Among the challenges for both sidewalk and street-based systems is a lack of unified regulations across jurisdictions. Delivery challenges Many of these robots have SAE Level 3 or Level 4 autonomy. Several companies' delivery robots are still remote-controlled, however. Delivery robots are limited by how much they carry and how long they last on a single charge. But they are improving all the time. At CES 2022, delivery robot…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 9.14
…and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that bring indoor autonomy.” Amazon Robotics is the leader that has driven growth in mobile robotics for the last 7 years since their acquisition of Kiva Systems. With an estimated 256,000 automated guided vehicles deployed to date, Amazon holds close to 50% of material handling robot market share and is broadening its portfolio of robot subtypes with autonomous mobile robots for transport and delivery. Other major automated guided vehicle (AGV) developers like Quicktron, JD.com, Geek, and Grey Orange are deploying thousands of robots yearly, while autonomous mobile robot (AMR) developers are just beginning to scale…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.97
…has changed the way we write emails, shop on Amazon and watch Netflix. The future of AI will likely fall somewhere in the happier side of the predictions as it continues to evolve and replace mundane work, and as it continues to further dip into knowledge work. Instead of competing with manmade intelligence and worrying about job security, we can focus our time and energy into enhancing our emotional and human intelligence. We can focus on leveraging the benefits of artificial intelligence to complement us toward our individual and collective pursuits. A computer can remember things, and it can do…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.90
…D’Andrea also co-founded Kiva Systems, which was acquired by Amazon in 2012 and rebranded as Amazon Robotics. Founded in 2014, Verity said its drone inventory systems are trustoworthy in “environments where failure is not an option.” Warehouse operators can use the technology to gather valuable insights that enable greater operational efficiencies, said the Zurich-based company. Verity already serves warehouses Supply chain automation has become a top priority for third-party logistics providers (3PLs), retailers, and manufacturers to address business-critical logistics challenges, noted Verity. Inventory management is a prime use case for automation—manual inventory scanning is costly and laborious, and errors frequently…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.80
…Mountz, founder and former CEO of Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics), recognized for launching the most widely deployed robotics solution in the world, will join the Board of Directors. After spending 13 years in high-tech product development, manufacturing, and marketing at Motorola, Apple, and Webvan, Mountz founded Kiva in January 2003, specifically to solve the pick-pack-and-ship material handling challenges presented by supply chain, warehouse, and logistics e-commerce. “RightHand is picking up where we left off,” said Mountz. “Customers saw products coming directly to operators for picking and packing and would ask: ‘Why don’t you also automate this step with a…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.76
…and robotics, including experienced leaders from Kiva Systems (now Amazon Robotics). Adding 6 River Systems’ cloud-based software and collaborative mobile robots called “Chuck” to the Shopify Fulfillment Network will increase the speed and reliability of warehouse operations, by empowering on-site associates with daily tasks, including inventory replenishment, picking, sorting and packing. “Shopify is taking on fulfillment the same way we’ve approached other commerce challenges, by bringing together the best technology to help everyone compete,” said Tobi Lütke, CEO of Shopify. “With 6 River Systems, we will bring technology and operational efficiencies to companies of all sizes around the world.” “By…
Found in Robotics News & Content, with a score of 8.73
…industry. According to Supply Chain 24/7 (via Business Insider), Amazon is already well on its way to creating and managing its comparable Uber-like app for trucking. Unfortunately, the tech landscape is riddled with cases of supply chain disruptors failing, but the trend is clear and shows little indication of regression. Read: Could Amazon Be Worried About The “Walmart Effect”? 3. Shippers Turn to Smart Tech for Tracking The use of Uber-like apps implies another impact and trend in last-mile logistics, the use of smart technology for tracking purposes. Through the Internet of Things (IoT), smart technology and sensors can successfully…