Are Robots the Solution to a Tight Labor Market?

Robots could soon outnumber human workers at some of the world’s biggest companies, including Amazon, reports CNBC. Cathie Wood, portfolio manager at Ark Invest, told CNBC that Amazon’s use of automated robots will dramatically change the company’s workforce in the coming years.To get more news about Robotics as a Service, you can visit glprobotics.com official website.

“Amazon is adding about a thousand robots a day. ... If you compare the number of robots Amazon has to the number of employees, it’s about a third. And we believe that by the year 2030 Amazon can have more robots than employees,” Wood told CNBC.

“We are just at the dawn of the robotics age. And I would say artificial intelligence and battery technology are all a part of that movement as well,” she added.

Wood said that the use of robots will seep into other industries as well, including manufacturing, as improving technology and falling costs speed up the transition.

“If you look at the cost declines, which drive all of our models ... for every cumulative doubling in the number of robots produced, the cost declines are in the 50-60% range,” she told CNBC.

This past quarter, Amazon introduced Sparrow, a robotic system that can detect, select and handle individual products in Amazon’s inventory.

“[Sparrow is] a major technological advancement that allows employees to shift their time and energy to other tasks,” wrote Amazon in a statement. “Sparrow also improves health and safety by reducing the repetitive tasks done by employees.”

Last year, Amazon opened YOW3 in Ontario, which is the company’s most advanced robotics facility in Canada and one of five of its kind globally. The warehouse has three robots designs to enhance employee safety and productivity: ROBIN, a robotic arm that sorts packages; RWC4, another robotic arm that sorts totes; and Kemit, a trolley that tows empty totes throughout the facility.

Not all of Amazon’s robotic ventures are progressing, however. Last fall, Amazon announced it was scaling back the development of Scout, its autonomous delivery robot. The e-commerce giant said it was stopping home-delivery testing of the robot, which launched three years ago.