![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/amazon-robots-spread-but-we-still-need-humans/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/127600164_whatsubject.jpg&description=Image source, AmazonImage caption, Amazon's latest robot, the Sparrow, can pick up items before they are packed in a boxAmazon is ramping up the use of robots as sales growth slows and it faces pressure to cut costs.Already about three quarters of the packages delivered by the e-commerce giant have been touched by some kind of robotic system.But that is likely to hit 100%, or just about, in the next five years, Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, told the BBC.The firm declined to say how much the investments help reduce costs. Staff were also quick to deflect questions about how quickly the machines are likely to replace their human counterparts, noting that 700 new types of roles have been created as the technology advances."Jobs will change for sure, but the need for humans will always be there," Mr Brady said.Mr Brady spoke at an event at the firm's robotics hub near Boston, Massachusetts where the company unveiled its latest suite of robots, drones and mapping technology to a group of reporters.The firm is trialling a giant robotic arm that can pick up items before they have been packed in boxes - a feat executives described as a major breakthrough - and a machine that can move freely on the warehouse floor alongside humans.Its first drone deliveries are set to start in the US later this year.Image caption, Amazon says it hopes to deliver 500 million packages by drone annually by the end of the decade"I really think what we're going to do in the next five years is going to dwarf anything we've done in the last 10 years," said Joe Quinlivan, vice president of robotics fulfilment and IT. "We think it is really going to transform our network."In some ways, Amazon is late to the robot party. The Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com unveiled a warehouse staffed by just four employees nearly five years ago, while rival Walmart already has a drone delivery programme up and running.Companies across the supply chain are pouring money into such investments, pushe){kind=link}
Amazon is ramping up the use of robots as sales growth slows and it faces pressure to cut costs.
Already about three quarters of the packages delivered by the e-commerce giant have been touched by some kind of robotic system.
But that is likely to hit 100%, or just about, in the next five years, Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, told the BBC.
The firm declined to say how much the investments help reduce costs.
Staff were also quick to deflect questions about how quickly the machines are likely to replace their human counterparts, noting that 700 new types of roles have been created as the technology advances.