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| A human-like robot carries an empty box in a warehouse. (PHOTO: SCREENSHOT) |
U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon is deploying a human-like robot, named Digit, in a warehouse to perform repetitive manual tasks, such as shifting empty tote boxes, and work collaboratively with employees.
Digit can move, grasp, and handle items in spaces and corners of warehouses in novel ways. Its size and shape are well-suited for buildings that are designed for humans.
The addition of the automated robots, which walk around on two legs, pick up large trays and move them elsewhere, is for "freeing employees up to better deliver".
However, the move is still a trial run and the robot is a prototype, as Amazon seeks to see if they can work safely alongside human employees.
In 2022, Amazon revealed its first robotic system Sparrow that was deployed in warehouses, streamlining the work fulfillment process by moving individual products before they get packaged.