This is what I think no one will be able to compete with amazon on warehouse logistics. Kiva's model of bringing the shelf to the picker is hard to improve upon. And it is probably patented.
Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
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Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#12I am starting to get annoyed by the overloaded term "robot." This article is really about automated warehouses. That is interesting, but is sufficiently advanced automation truly robotics? If so, where does it cross that line? Many hobbyist "robotics" (think BattleBots) are just remote-controlled vehicles. Neither have autonomous behavior. It'd be nice to have terms for each but I can't think of what would be appropr…
I completely agree the word "robot" is entirely overused in inappropriate ways. However, I evaluated the Kiva system shortly before Amazon acquired the company and can say their system meets your definition and, IMHO, is as robotic as a Roomba.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#13I am starting to get annoyed by the overloaded term "robot." This article is really about automated warehouses. That is interesting, but is sufficiently advanced automation truly robotics? If so, where does it cross that line? Many hobbyist "robotics" (think BattleBots) are just remote-controlled vehicles. Neither have autonomous behavior. It'd be nice to have terms for each but I can't think of what would be appropr…
My definition of a 'robot' is a machine with motor functions and can make its own decision on how to act in reaction to its environment. For example, a phone isn't a robot, not unless you give it wheels and the ability to act.
A phone isn't a robot
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#14I am starting to get annoyed by the overloaded term "robot." This article is really about automated warehouses. That is interesting, but is sufficiently advanced automation truly robotics? If so, where does it cross that line? Many hobbyist "robotics" (think BattleBots) are just remote-controlled vehicles. Neither have autonomous behavior. It'd be nice to have terms for each but I can't think of what would be appropr…
In South Africa traffic lights are called robots.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
My definition of a 'robot' is a machine with motor functions and can make its own decision on how to act in reaction to its environment. For example, a phone isn't a robot, not unless you give it wheels and the ability to act.
By that definition, a clothes dryer with a humidity sensor is a robot. (And I'm fine with that!)
My favourite robot is a dishwasher.
Mostly because it is so different from what some people naively imagine when you asked them to think of a design for a robot to wash dishes.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#16I am starting to get annoyed by the overloaded term "robot." This article is really about automated warehouses. That is interesting, but is sufficiently advanced automation truly robotics? If so, where does it cross that line? Many hobbyist "robotics" (think BattleBots) are just remote-controlled vehicles. Neither have autonomous behavior. It'd be nice to have terms for each but I can't think of what would be appropr…
My definition of a 'robot' is a machine with motor functions and can make its own decision on how to act in reaction to its environment. For example, a phone isn't a robot, not unless you give it wheels and the ability to act.
Any phone with a vibration motor would technically be a robot (vibrate when message received)
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#17Sounds like another race to the bottom.
That's the point. If you mean bottom of cost, that is.
Humans have better things to do than grueling warehouse jobs.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#18I am starting to get annoyed by the overloaded term "robot." This article is really about automated warehouses. That is interesting, but is sufficiently advanced automation truly robotics? If so, where does it cross that line? Many hobbyist "robotics" (think BattleBots) are just remote-controlled vehicles. Neither have autonomous behavior. It'd be nice to have terms for each but I can't think of what would be appropr…
I completely agree the word "robot" is entirely overused in inappropriate ways. However, I evaluated the Kiva system shortly before Amazon acquired the company and can say their system meets your definition and, IMHO, is as robotic as a Roomba.
Seconded -- while the decision-making ability is centralized (not in each individual robot) the system as a whole is still able to make its own decisions in many areas.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#19This is what I think no one will be able to compete with amazon on warehouse logistics. Kiva's model of bringing the shelf to the picker is hard to improve upon. And it is probably patented.
There are plenty of Kiva competitors from German and Asian manufacturers.
Some of the Chinese systems even use the same Kiva-style modules to do other tasks like package mail sorting.
Re: Robot Makers Fill Their War Chests in Fight Against Amazon
#20Sounds like another race to the bottom.
That's the point. If you mean bottom of cost, that is. Humans have better things to do than grueling warehouse jobs.
They aren’t doing those jobs because they like it, they need it. Sure, they have better things to do, but step one is always, “don’t starve” right? Taking their marginal living and waiting for some mystical market force to save them is just... shitty.