Amazon’s new warehouse robot is first to have a sense of touch

Amazon’s newest worker is like Confessions Part II Usher—all in its feels. The online retail giant this week unveiled Vulcan, its first robot with a sense of touch, which the company aims to utilize to pick and pack items in its warehouses that only humans could handle previously.

Specs on the feeling robot with the same name as a Star Trek species that notoriously doesn’t feel things:

• Vulcan uses AI-powered sensors on its “hand” to determine the precise pressure and torque each object needs—a step up from other item-limited robotic arms Amazon has used in its warehouses that rely on cameras for detection and suction for grasp.
• The robot is already operational in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany, where it’s processed 500,000 orders. Amazon says Vulcan can work 20-hour shifts as well as handle ~75% of products stored in warehouses, with human intervention needed for the others.

Speaking of humans…Amazon’s Director of Robotics told CNBC he doesn’t believe in 100% automation—something many experts agree with, given the complexity of replacing every task a human can do (apparently the last mile problem applies to more than just logistics). The company maintains that its robots—other projects include Sparrow, Robin, Cardinal, and Proteus—are there to collaborate with warehouse workers instead of replace them.

Big picture: ~1 million people are currently working in Amazon warehouses, compared to ~750,000 robots.