Amazon halts Blue Jay robotics project after less than six months | TechCrunch
Summary
Amazon has discontinued its Blue Jay robotics project after less than six months, citing the intention to repurpose its core technology for other initiatives.
Why It Matters
The halt of the Blue Jay project highlights the challenges in robotics innovation within large corporations like Amazon. It underscores the rapid pace of technological development and the need for continuous adaptation in the competitive landscape of warehouse automation.
Key Takeaways
- Amazon's Blue Jay robotics project was halted shortly after its launch.
- The core technology from Blue Jay will be integrated into other robotics programs.
- Amazon continues to innovate in warehouse automation, having developed multiple robotic systems.
Amazon has hundreds of thousands of robots in its warehouses, but that doesn’t mean all of its robotic initiatives are a success story. The ecommerce giant has halted its Blue Jay warehouse robotics project just months after unveiling the tech, as originally reported by Business Insider and confirmed by TechCrunch. Blue Jay, a multi-armed robot designed to sort and move packages, was unveiled in October for use in the company’s same-day delivery facilities. At the time, the company was testing the robots at a facility in South Carolina and said it took Amazon significantly less time to develop Blue Jay — only about a year— than it did to develop its other warehouse robots, a speed the company credited to advancements in AI. Amazon spokesperson Terrance Clark told TechCrunch that Blue Jay was launched as a prototype — although that was not made clear in the company’s original press release. The company plans to use Blue Jay’s core technology for other robotics “manipulation programs” with employees who worked on Blue Jay being moved to other projects. “We’re always experimenting with new ways to improve the customer experience and make work safer, more efficient, and more engaging for our employees,” Clark told TechCrunch over email. “In this case, we’re actually accelerating the use of the underlying technology developed for Blue Jay, and nearly all of the technologies are being carried over and will continue to support employees across our network.” Amazon also unveiled t...
