How Amazon robots continuously get smarter
More than 3,000 robots navigate the four-story fulfillment center in Kent, guided by new algorithms that are making them faster and more efficient.
The robots inside Amazon's Kent Fulfillment Center are getting smarter — and the company is pressing forward with new technology that is raising familiar questions about the future of work.
More than 3,000 robots navigate the four-story building on 64th Avenue South, guided by new algorithms that are making them faster and more efficient.
"It's always going to get better, like especially with AI now," said Manny Thompson, an amnesty technician at the facility.
Earlier this year, Amazon announced it would eliminate 16,000 corporate positions to streamline operations and free up money for AI investments, on top of 14,000 corporate layoffs last fall. Meanwhile, the machinery inside facilities like Kent keeps evolving.
Robot technology has been part of the fulfillment center's operation for more than a decade. But, according to senior operations manager Antonella Godoy, what's changing are the brains behind the bots.
"We have been improving as we go, as new technology comes out," Godoy said.
New algorithms are constantly upgrading how the mobile robots move — sharpening their speed, efficiency and ability to avoid obstacles. The Roomba-like machines follow QR codes on the warehouse floor like coordinates on a map, ferrying packages through the building around the clock.
Safety features keep humans and robots working in close proximity. When Thompson walks near the machines, his solid green vest signals them to stop.
"As you can see, the drives behind me are not moving because I'm right here," he said.
The robots raise a question Amazon has faced before, are the machines replacing jobs, or reshaping them? In Thompson's case, his role as an amnesty technician exists specifically because of the robots. His job is to keep the warehouse floor clear, so the machines never stop moving.
"Without these, I wouldn't have a job. My job is based on these," he said. "I have to make sure that these robots are always moving and nothing's blocking them."
From there, it's a fast track to customers' doorsteps. At the Kent fulfillment center, humans remain a critical part of the operation.
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