According to Futurism, Amazon's fleet now exceeds 1 million robots. It includes robotic arms, floor-level loading robots that recall the Roomba vacuum cleaner, and large pallet-sorting machines.
The site sets this figure against Amazon's more than 1.5 million employees, full time or part time. For Futurism, the robots compete with them, including in the physical space of the warehouses.
Brad Greenwood, professor of management at George Mason University, told Ars Technica that this robot fleet changes things for two reasons. The machines work right alongside employees, and they can set the pace of work.
Joan Moriarty, director of strategic research at the Strategic Organizing Center, a union coalition, accuses Amazon of promoting its robots to avoid talking about the tens of thousands of employees injured every year.
Source
- Futurism · futurism.com