Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Amazon unveils latest mobile robot for its fulfillment centers

Titan model lifts up to 2,500 pounds, will haul bulky items like small household appliances or pallets of pet food

amazon titan 90.jpeg

E-commerce powerhouse Amazon took the wraps off its latest warehouse robot this week, saying its “Titan” model is a mobile unit designed to take on extra-heavy lifting in fulfillment centers.

Shaped like an oversized, square “Roomba” vacuum, Titan can lift up to 2,500 pounds, which is about two times more weight than Hercules, the most broadly deployed robot within Amazon’s operations. With all that strength, Titan’s first task will be to carry larger, bulkier items like small household appliances or pallets of pet food and gardening equipment, the company said.


The Seattle-based company will deploy the new model first at its SAT1 fulfillment center in San Antonio, Texas. That facility launched in 2013 to process larger, bulkier items and the use of this new technology will help modernize the site, supporting both workplace safety and efficiency, Amazon said.

Engineers at the company created Titan by adopting several technologies from previous generations of its mobile robots, including the battery and charging management solution from Hercules, and the computer vision, obstacle detection, and user control systems from the Xanthus mobile robot. Titan also uses hardware components from Proteus to manage its operating system as it plans, executes, and interfaces with other technologies within the facility.

“We see many possibilities for how we can use Titan going forward, including with containerized storage solutions like Sequoia, where it could transport inventory across our storage floor and bring it directly to employees,” the company said in a release.

Sequoia, which is now operating at an Amazon fulfillment center in Houston, Texas, integrates multiple robot systems to containerize inventory into totes, bringing together mobile robots, gantry systems, robotic arms, and an ergonomic employee workstation.


 

 

 

 

The Latest

More Stories

Dasher the reindeer in the snow

Lessons from the ultimate last-mile delivery expert: interview with Dasher the reindeer

2024 has been quite a year. In addition to the usual challenges, supply chain leaders have had to contend with two major wars, several devastating hurricanes and storms, dock strikes, a rail strike, a freight recession, an uneven economy, and an election cycle unlike any other. That’s a lot packed into one year.

We can all use a chance to catch our breath. As the holidays approach, we at DC Velocity thought it would be fun to take a more whimsical approach to this month’s ThoughtLeader Q&A and interview Dasher the reindeer.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Amazon delivery driver sorting packages in van
Photo courtesy of Amazon

“Smart” vans speed package delivery

Amazon package deliveries are about to get a little bit faster—thanks to specially outfitted delivery vans and the magic of AI.

Last month, the mega-retailer introduced its Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR)solution, an AI (artificial intelligence)-powered system designed to cut the time it takes drivers to retrieve packages from the back of the van.

Keep ReadingShow less

Think twice, buy once

We are now into the home stretch of the holiday shopping season—the biggest retail bonanza of the year. By now, many shoppers have already made their purchases and are putting the final touches on their gifts. Some of us procrastinators have not even started. Isn’t that why online shopping was invented?

Here are some interesting facts about Americans’ holiday shopping patterns. The National Retail Federation estimates that consumer spending for the holidays will average $902 per person. Some $641 of that will be for gifts, with the remainder spent on food, decorations, and other holiday items.

Keep ReadingShow less
inventory on racks at partners warehouse

Venture-backed Partners Warehouse acquires an east coast 3PL

The private equity-backed warehousing and transportation provider Partners Warehouse has acquired PSS Distribution Services, a third-party logistics (3PL) provider specializing in warehousing, distribution, and value-added services on the East Coast, the company said today.

The move expands Partners Warehouse’s reach from its current territories, which stretch from its Elwood, Illinois, headquarters to its two million square feet of warehousing and rail transloading facilities across eight locations in Illinois, California, and Dallas.

Keep ReadingShow less
Association of Equipment Manufacturers' (AEM) national Manufacturing Express tour
Photo courtesy of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM)

Online game tests manufacturing know-how

Think you know a lot about manufacturing? Your hard-won knowledge might be about to pay off in the form of a brand-new pickup truck. No, you don’t have to physically assemble the vehicle. But you could win a Ford F-150 by playing an industry-themed online game.

Dubbed the Manufacturing Challenge, the game was launched during the Association of Equipment Manufacturers' (AEM) national Manufacturing Express tour this summer. It challenges participants to test their knowledge by answering a series of trivia questions related to the equipment manufacturing industry. Do well enough, and your name will be entered to win the grand prize.

Keep ReadingShow less