Amazon announces Vulcan Robot with a sense of touch

Amazon has developed a new warehouse robot that uses touch to rummage around shelves to find the right product to ship to customers. The robot, called Vulcan, is a meaningful step toward making robots less sausage-fingered compared to human beings. Aaron Parness, Amazon’s director of robotics AI who led the development of Vulcan, explains that touch sensing helps the robot push items around on a shelf and identify what it’s after.

Designed to enhance worker safety, operational performance, and order processing speed, Vulcan can manage around 75 per cent of the items stored within Amazon’s warehouses. Leveraging breakthroughs in robotics, physical AI, and engineering, the robot supports employees by picking and placing products, especially those located in challenging or hard-to-reach spaces.

Aaron Parness highlighted the collaborative nature of the technology. “Vulcan works hand in hand with our employees. Together, they achieve outcomes that neither could accomplish alone. This robot doesn’t just see—it can feel, unlocking new capabilities that were previously beyond the reach of our robotic systems.”

Unlike earlier models, Vulcan is equipped with force feedback sensors and a specialised gripping arm that can detect touch and automatically adjust its hold. This innovation allows it to handle items more delicately and precisely, particularly when retrieving goods from confined storage bins. It also reduces the physical strain on employees by limiting the need for step ladders and awkward postures.