E-commerce giant Amazon just debuted its new robot, “Sparrow.” The company says Sparrow is its first warehouse robot that can detect, select, and handle individual products. The robot uses AI, computer vision, and a robotic hand. The hand can hold around 65% of Amazon’s products. People got to see the robot in action Thursday, during a tech expo. Sparrow is currently a part of a test run at a Texas facility, but a rollout of more locations with the new tool is expected next year.
I’m in Massachusetts looking at Amazon’s new Sparrow robot picking arm, which the company says can recognize and pick up 65% of the 100 million different items on its website. pic.twitter.com/E9iP1GqowT
— Theo Wayt (@theo_wayt) November 10, 2022
For now, Amazon is not giving details on how it plans to use Sparrow, but it says the machine will reduce specific tasks human employers must do. Amazon is sticking to its claims that it’s not replacing human jobs, but Insider reports that some workers are already expressing concern about their job security. The robot can perform the picking and sorting tasks many of Amazon’s warehouse employees are now tasked with doing. Amazon argues that the opposite has resulted from robots in its workplace. The company says robots have created 700 new categories of jobs. Some union employees are convinced the robots are a way to cut down on more unions forming throughout the company. Workers also say they’re still more reliable than Amazon robots because previous robots have been prone to breaking down.
Amazon also cites safety as a need for the robot. According to Insider, data shows that Amazon warehouses with robots have more injury rates than those without them. The company’s plan for its new robot has yet to be determined. With the announcement of hiring freezes, a possible recession, and overworked employees forming unions, one can only speculate about the plan.
There is some hope human workers are not being replaced. A recent study by Brigham Young University shows that only 14% of workers have been replaced by robots. The study suggests the story of robots taking over the workforce is greatly exaggerated.
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