Amazon Robotics
Amazon Robotics, formerly Kiva Systems, is a Massachusetts-based company that manufactures mobile robotic fulfillment systems.[1][2] It is a subsidiary company of Amazon.com. Its automated storage and retrieval systems have been used in the past by companies including The Gap, Walgreens, Staples, Gilt Groupe, Office Depot, Crate & Barrel, and Saks 5th Avenue.[3] Employees of erstwhile Kiva now only work in Amazon warehouses.
Formerly
History[edit]
After working on the business process team at Webvan, Mick Mountz concluded that the company's downfall was due to the inflexibility of existing material handling systems and the high cost of order fulfillment.[4] These challenges inspired Mountz to create a method to pick, pack, and ship orders through a system that could deliver any item to any operator at any time. To accomplish his vision, Mountz sought help from Peter Wurman and Raffaello D'Andrea. In 2003, Mountz became the founder and CEO of Kiva Systems, through his partnership with co-founders Wurman and D'Andrea.
Overview[edit]
Traditionally, goods are moved around a distribution center using a conveyor system or by human-operated machines (such as forklifts). In Kiva's approach, items are stored in portable storage units. When an order is entered into the Kiva database system, the software locates the closest automated guided vehicle to the item and directs it to retrieve it. The mobile robots navigate around the warehouse by following a series of computerized bar-code stickers on the floor. Each drive unit has a sensor that prevents it from colliding with others. When the drive unit reaches the target location, it slides underneath the pod and lifts it off the ground through a corkscrew action. The robot then carries the pod to the specified human operator to pick up the items.[5]
Kiva sold systems based on two different robot models. The smaller model was approximately 2 by 2.5 feet (0.61 by 0.76 m), 18 inches (460 mm) high, and capable of lifting 1,000 pounds (450 kg). The larger model was capable of carrying a pallet with loads as heavy as 3,000 pounds (1,400 kg).[6] Both were a distinctive orange color. The maximum velocity of the robots was 1.3 metres per second (4.3 ft/s).[7] The mobile bots were battery-powered and need to be recharged every hour for five minutes.
The system is considered much more efficient and accurate than the traditional method of having human workers traveling around the warehouse locating and picking items.[8]