News - Amazon is testing humanoid robots in its warehouses

Amazon is trialing humanoid robots in its warehouses as the US tech giant looks to automate more of its operations, PA Media reported. The company said it was testing a new robot called Digit at a warehouse in the US state of Texas, which has arms and legs and can move, grasp, and handle items in a similar fashion to a human. Concerns have been raised over what this move to automation could mean for jobs in Amazon facilities, but the company has argued the technology can help by “freeing employees up to better deliver for our customers.” In its robotics announcement, Amazon said its robotics systems had in fact helped create “hundred of thousands of new jobs” within its operations. “This includes 700 categories of new job types, in skilled roles, which didn’t exist within the company beforehand,” the firm said. According to the tech giant, it now has more than 750,000 robots working “collaboratively” with its human staff, often being used to take on “highly repetitive tasks.”