TRACY, California: Amazon.com Inc has installed more than 15,000 robots across 10 US warehouses, a move that promises to cut operating costs by one-fifth and get packages out the door more quickly in the run-up to Christmas.
The orange 320-pound (145kg) robots, which scoot around the floor on wheels, show how Amazon has adopted technology developed by Kiva Systems, a robotics company it bought for US$775mil (RM2.66bil) in 2012. Amazon showcased them to media ahead of Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year.