Robotic Distribution

from Kiva Systems and delivered to the online retailer, Zappos.com. For more info, check out Wired Science: blog.wired.com/wiredscience/20...

[@bwpaulk]

I saw this system at a warehouse recently. They had just moved from a smaller traditional warehouse . With this KIVA, they have twice the space, twice the capacity to move orders and MORE EMPLOYEES than before. The efficiencies of the system is CREATING MORE JOBS, not less.

[@fifaham]

Inventory that walks, talks, and move all around. Great work Kiva.

[@marcotradutor]

Amazing ideas!

[@bfdpowers]

This isn't the first time in history something like this has happened. During the Industrial Revolution numerous jobs became obsolete. People then adapted just as we will now. I really don't see humans becoming "obsolete" anytime in the near future.

[@nikosv8166]

i wonder what the the costs are for the kiva system ie energy, maintenance, cost of the kiva bot etc vs hiring a human

[@samZABAR]

Wow, thats incredible. I would love to work there.

[@tubeseantube]

Two locations: Las Vegas, Nevada and Shepherdsville, Kentucky where is this at? Very Interesting

[@bsoverns]

This is incredible, I wish I built something like this first.

[@curtismoran1000]

@aronpajczyk Now I can't say for sure this is the reason. But Amazon bought zappos in july 09, I would say they then switched the system back to their own standard practice to ease the transition. But seeing as Amazon bought Kiva systems yesterday, i would say those old black marks will have fresh tracks over them soon

[@KeroroGunsouTX]

@ScubaJonL That I think is one of the paradoxes of economics, the more efficient a company becomes, the fewer people they need and thus the fewer people are employed. It seems therefore that sometimes inefficiency actually benefits more people. And we can't buy American products if retailers refuse to even carry them which is sometimes the case because of higher prices.

[@Sergiuss555]

thank you!

[@qwertyqart]

now its end of 2015, 6 years later, I wonder how many human workers are left in that building

[@MarcosFernandezDelgado]

7 years today :)

[@rasmasyean]

Amazon bought Kiva after using it. They set an example and prolly sold them to tons of other shippers. It most likely replaced a lot of ppl around USA at least. I'm sure most of those workers got hired somewhere else more layed back than running around a giant building lifting things. Especially the girls.

[@XxiMcRAzYLaZyxX]

That's not true I work for a company hired by Amazon to repair the drives and clean the kiva field, it has not replaced any American jobs on the Amazon side of it if anything it's created more, it's more effective than the legacy building, the facilities layout promotes more room for 'stations' where the AA's can work, and they need 'amnesty' associates to go out and reset the drives all day when they run over a book or slip on a damaged bottle of shampoo that spilled in the kiva field.

[@cherrygummybear1132]

I'm one of the girls and I'm still there. More people were actually hired to fill the increase in business. Our jobs became harder but the rewards came with the difficulty. I do miss working with the bots. They were so polite.

[@powpanda]

@ScubaJonL In fact this is the only way to compete with ultra cheap foreign labor. I agree with everything you said.

[@Fuchsia_tude]

@mblefler What happened?

[@poopapapa]

They're takin er jerbs

[@poopapapa]

The people I know are too smart to work at a whorehouse for minimum wage.

[@JustSujC]

Actually automation has historically created more jobs. Think about the Kiva robot maintenance itself. It takes a very skilled worker to repair, maintain, and program those systems.

[@VeracityMedia]

Automation of labor is the future of our species.

[@Terr0c1ty]

@idioticrandomguy the robots have 2D bar-codes on the ground every 3ft or so which is unique to that location. that location is then communicated to a computer that is the traffic controller of all the robots.

[@duckwerksofficial]

... an era of death scary 0.o

[@TheThomaswastaken]

...kinda awesome.

[@jasonguyperson]

i would love to tweek the programming... ^.^

[@tohopes]

that is fucking awesome.

[@itroll3fun]

Pixar made a movie about this. IT WAS AWESOME.

[@STREETMOV]

How advance are they really in 2021

[@pointpointclick]

All aboard the Axiom...

[@haleestas]

Thats all I was thinking during the whole video.

[@Troublesome2008]

I like these comments even more than the clip...

[@toms1197]

every machine of any sort, whether a simple rope & pulley system to the most sophisticated robotics system, or a passenger jet, etc. They are all machines. Machines simply multiply effort or work and actually make possible things otherwise impossible. If machines actually reduced the need for manual, physical labor, then the first working animal with the first bridle would have doomed humanity. But clearly it didnt and neither will these systems here.

[@eurocrimi]

Das Bessere ist der Feind des Guten

[@SouthChineseTiger]

...also if one of the Kiva's sense you laundering around exhibiting burglar like body movement, it emits a signal to all the other Kiva's but you'd never know. They'll just continue working like nothings amiss. That way by the time you get around the corner handling merchandise that should only be moved around by The Bots, you will sure to be startled when Avik, (Kiva spelt backwards), scoots out of thin air, as you hold its property in your sweaty palms. Avik, a loss prevention bot, cruises silently like a Prius going downhill at low speed. It weights twice the amount of a line backer during NFL mid-season, it also comes equipped with a small capacity of 'Amurika power.

[@dorifto]

well technology advancement is suppose to make work easier. just like computers. sure it replaces some people from there jobs. but it helps productivity and saves the companies money. it sucks for the ppl that get fired because they are being replaced by robots and computers but that's just the reality of things

[@milanomartin5417]

dorifto fast forward and scaled to Amazon after they bought them out and this technology has actually brought along a lot of jobs.

[@mofo78536]

Eventually its going to be hard for nearly anybody find work, but its going to happen anyway, that's technology. But hey, on the plus side it would mean that poverty in the future will be even more inexcusable and be more of a political problem as opposed to a 'scarcity' issues in resource and manpower that plagued humanity for ages. This era, we will either see a booming time of universal prosperity, or if things are going the way at the moment... an era of death Post-Scarcity society ja?

[@1schwererziehbar1]

amazon uses these now. so yeah, they are the future indeed.

[@rasmasyean]

Amazon bought the company and renamed it to Amazon Robotics.

[@couchpoet1]

Futuristic Unemployment.

[@othrower74]

Love it when the lady says I can do about twice the work. Yeah laddy...twice the work for the same pay. So in reality Zappos can give you a pay cut.....gotta love it.

[@nmcarpenter]

Yea, but she's doing twice the work with half the effort, so it kinda balances out. But the way the economy is, a pay cut is probably still possible.

[@Truthiness231]

Great, until a top-heavy robotic shelf crushes someone... those lawsuits hurt =/ *can already tell I'm going to be bad-rated for thinking*

[@milanomartin5417]

Truthiness231 you mean like when humans try to climb shelves. Yes I’ve actually seen it done before.

[@dannydebonis]

God forbid people walk around. HUMANS WERE MEANT TO STAND STILL OR SIT ALL DAY LONG!

[@themrjones]

falesha can get it

[@Mannafett]

This looks a bit old-fashioned... Search up: Autostore by Hatteland" for a better solution.

[@drealm]

pretty fucking cool even if it does take away my job

[@milanomartin5417]

drealm it takes away walking, not jobs. Still need someone to put items and pulls items.

[@ScubaJonL]

Yes it will put people out of work. But is the solution to do things less efficiently? They could get ride of robots, conveyors, forklifts and machines and employ 400 Americans at minimum wage to push carts and carry boxes individually... just like the Amish would. If you're worried about American jobs, buy American products (so stop going to Wal-Mart) but don't criticize American companies for being competitive through efficiency!

[@anthonyoffutt2202]

its a pretty good looking system but it could put plenty of hard working Americans with families out of a job

[@ncpproductions]

just dont make them to smart

[@mozillanerd]

Right on comment about American jobs. Just don't send this to China, etc.

[@johnoellison]

Maybe if she had more exercise in her job she wouldn't be so overweight.

[@nema151]

shrink=waste