Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Government Media Office in Gaza: The occupation’s latest crime is further evidence of its ongoing implementation of genocide through starvation.
Gaza Government Media Office: This is a methodical use of aid as a tool of war to blackmail hungry civilians.
Gaza Government media office: Massacre committed by occupation today is a blatant war crime under international law.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Waves of injured and martyrs continue to arrive at Nasser Medical Complex following the horrific massacre near the aid distribution centers in Rafah.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: 30 martyrs and 120 wounded by Israeli fire while heading to a 'US aid distribution site' west of Rafah.
Araghchi to Grossi: These parties will bear responsibility for the consequences of their actions
Araghchi to Grossi: Iran will respond to any unlawful action by European countries or parties attempting to turn the Agency into a tool for achieving their objectives
Araghchi to Grossi: We urge the Agency to warn against the consequences of any political move against Iran
Araghchi to Grossi: We call on the Agency to highlight Iran’s full cooperation during the upcoming Board of Governors meeting next week
Araghchi to Grossi: We demand that the Agency reflect the facts in a manner that prevents certain parties from exploiting it to advance their political agendas

Amazon makes ‘fundamental leap' in robotics with sense of touch device

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 7 May 2025 14:35
4 Min Read

Amazon recently revealed the Vulcan, a touch-sensitive robot set to revolutionize warehouse automation and logistics across global fulfillment centers.

Listen
  • x
  • An Amazon manufacturing worker stands next to the Vulcan robot at an Amazon work site (Amazon website)
    An Amazon manufacturing worker stands next to the Vulcan robot at an Amazon work site. (Amazon website)

Amazon has unveiled its most advanced robot to date, Vulcan, marking what the company calls a “fundamental leap forward in robotics.”

Designed with a sense of touch, Vulcan is capable of handling nearly 75% of the vast range of items stored across Amazon’s fulfillment centers. The robot was launched at the company’s “Delivering the Future” event in Dortmund, Germany, and is expected to be deployed globally over the coming years.

Aaron Parness, Amazon’s director of robotics, said Vulcan represented a critical advancement, “It’s not just seeing the world, it’s feeling it, enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.” Using AI, the Vulcan robot can determine how to pick up items based on texture and sensitivity, an ability that surpasses the suction-based systems currently used.

The new robot will help store and retrieve goods on multiple levels of storage pods, eliminating the need for human workers to climb ladders or bend repeatedly. Amazon, which now operates over 750,000 robots worldwide, sees Vulcan as the latest step in its warehouse automation strategy.

How AI is shaping the future of logistics

With AI guiding its actions, Vulcan can assess which objects are safe to handle and adjust its approach accordingly. It is designed to work alongside human employees who manage inventory from stations where shelving units are delivered by existing wheeled robots.

Related News

China unveils first AI system for nuclear warhead verification

FBI probes AI voice scam impersonating White House chief of staff: WSJ

The robot is part of a broader Amazon initiative to integrate machine learning and automation into its logistics systems. For instance, the company plans to install packaging systems that tailor boxes to fit items precisely, cutting waste and improving efficiency. Over 70 of these machines will be deployed in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain by year-end, with additional units expected by 2027.

Impact on warehouse jobs and labor concerns

The introduction of Vulcan and similar robotics is likely to intensify concerns over job displacement. Amazon has already faced industrial action in the UK and beyond due to disputes over warehouse pay and working conditions, while broader anxieties about automation persist across the labor market.

In 2023, Goldman Sachs estimated that as many as 300 million jobs could be automated out of existence globally by 2030 due to advancements in AI. The Tony Blair Institute projected that, in the UK alone, between 60,000 and 275,000 jobs could be displaced annually during peak disruption.

Safety, efficiency, and the role of human workers

Despite concerns, Amazon maintains that human labor will remain central to its operations. Tye Brady, the company’s chief technologist for robotics, emphasized that robots are meant to “amplify the human potential” and take on “the menial, the mundane and the repetitive” tasks.

“People will always be part of the equation,” he said.

Brady, who described the Vulcan robot as similar to R2D2 in function, added that humans are still essential to applying common sense and identifying both system failures and simple issues, such as broken items, that robots might overlook.

Brady also argued that having people involved improves cybersecurity readiness, citing the recent shutdown of Marks & Spencer’s online orders due to a cyber-attack as an example of the growing need for vigilance.

Amazon’s continued investment in robotics aligns with a broader trend among global retailers responding to rising labor costs by automating logistics operations. The launch of the Vulcan robot, alongside packaging innovations and the rollout of Amazon’s new Haul website in the UK, signals a decisive move toward enhanced operational efficiency.

As Brady put it, “It’s really exciting to bring both the mind and the body together. It’s finally here, and it’s just beginning.”

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Robotics
  • Vulcan robot
  • robot job displacement
  • warehouse automation
  • Amazon

Most Read

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump tensions

US judges quietly consider private security amid Trump pressures

  • US & Canada
  • 25 May 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
MIT bans class president who gave pro-Palestine speech
US & Canada

MIT bans class president over pro-Palestine speech

Arab ministers condemn Israel 'ban' on planned West Bank visit
Politics

Arab ministers condemn Israeli ban on planned West Bank visit

Major General Hu Gangfeng, Vice President, National Defense University, People's Liberation Army, China, leaves after a panel discussion during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Politics

China blasts Hegseth, calls US top 'troublemaker' in Asia-Pacific

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: Reports
Technology

US activists demand shutdown of Musk's 'dirty' supercomputer: NBC News

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS