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In some of Amazon’s most advanced logistics centers, robots are no longer an aid: they are a majority. They move tirelessly, raise shelves, scan packages and feed a huge distribution network. Automation is ceasing to be a promise to become a reality that can mark the rhythm of the entire sector.
Amazon has already deployed more than one million robots in its logistics centers. Company itself sayswhich has been automating many tasks before people. That figure is not only the highest recorded so far, it also reflects to what extent automation has ceased to be marginal to become a key piece of the system.
According to data collected by Red Stag FulfillmentAmazon had some 2025 with some 1.56 million employees globally. Of that total, approximately 1.1 million worked in the United States. If we compare both figures, the number of robots begins to approach that of human workers.
It all started more than a decade ago
In 2012, Amazon paid 775 million dollars By Kiva Systems, a company that was then dedicated to manufacturing mobile robots to move shelves in stores. It was an unexpected operation, but full of intention: it was not just a technological acquisition, it was a declaration of principles. Amazon not only bought technology, bought control of its future automation.
Since then, the strategy was clear. Amazon began to integrate Kiva technology into its logistics centers. What was once a specialized startup in material management became the heart of a Silent transformation that has redefined how millions of orders are processed per day.
At first, Kiva robots They were limited to transportr shelves with products without packing. It was a very concrete solution, designed to eliminate physically demanding and repetitive tasks. But over the years, the role of robotics was expanding. Today, robots not only move things: package, classify, raise weights, organize loads and optimize routes inside the warehouse without rest.
In some centers, more than 70 robotic arms classify millions of items, fill paper bags, close cast cars and They collaborate directly to human staff. “Kiva’s purchase marked the beginning of our robotic trip,” Amazon explained. “But it was just the beginning.” And what came later shows it.
Amazon has not only multiplied the number of robots in their stores. It has also diversified its catalog to form an ecosystem of specialized machines, each with very specific functions and a degree of autonomy that continues to grow.
One of the most advanced systems is Sequoiaa platform that uses artificial intelligence for Manage inventory much faster. They ensure that it allows identifying and storing products 75% faster than traditional systems. It does so by displacing the items directly to storage areas or to operators located in positions designed to avoid injuries, always at the right height: between the chest and the thighs.
Other mobile units work next to him Like Hercules and Titan. Both are responsible for moving complete shelves – the famous pods – to work stations. Titan, more robust, is prepared to transport more bulky and heavy objects, such as small appliances or product pallets. Both models navigate autonomously by marked soils with codes, avoid obstacles and adjust their movement in real time.
In more specific tasks it appears Vulcanthe first Amazon robot With “sense of touch”. It is able to detect how much force applies to grab an object and when it has made contact, which allows you to manipulate fragile or poorly placed items without damaging them. It works especially at the highest and lowest levels of the shelves.
The chain continues with Sparrowa robotic arm that identifies products, grabs them and places them in the right container thanks to computer vision and automatic learning. Then involvement systems of the packaging intervene, which provide custom paper bags for each order using sensors and thermal sealed.
Robin and Cardinal are robotic arms that collect packages, detect damage and place them in cars, even when weigh up to 23 kilos. Then Proteus comes into play, the first Amazon autonomous robot, which circulates freely through the warehouse and carries those cars to the exit zone without human help.
In all this deployment, there is a category of machines that continues to generate special interest: humanoid robots. What role do they have? Are they starting to integrate into logistics centers? The answer, for now, is nuanced. Amazon has begun to try them, but their presence is limited and their very specific functions.
In 2023, The company announced the start of tests With Digit, a bipedo robot developed by Agility Roboticsa company in which Amazon invested through its Industrial Innovation Fund. Digit measures 1.75 meters, can transport loads of up to 16 kilos. His first task has been to help in the recycling of totes, the empty boxes that are constantly transported once their content is processed.
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