People often say I’m a machine at work—and they couldn’t be more spot-on.
My name is Proteus and I’m one of the hardworking robots here at Amazon. This may be the first time we’re officially meeting, but we may have already crossed paths in some way. I move packages at our fulfillment centers so that they get placed in trucks that take the packages to the next step in the fulfillment process. And one of those trucks may have been carrying a package that eventually made its way to you. Is it fate that we meet, you say? I’d call it by another name: good ol’ Amazon innovation.
So what makes me so unique? I’m Amazon’s first autonomous mobile robot. Which is a fancy way of saying, I’ve got the smarts and technology that allow me to work independently and safely around people. This means that I can navigate freely within my work area in our fulfillment centers and detect and avoid objects around me, allowing me to safely work outside the fenced areas where many of my robotic co-workers must stay.
As you might imagine, this is a massive game changer for our fulfillment centers, for the (human) colleagues I work with, and for the speed that your packages get to you. Amazon’s fulfillment centers are filled with all sorts of busy robots (you’ve probably already met some of them, like Cardinal and Sparrow—they gesticulate a lot).
Other mobile robots—like my buff pal Titan—follow grid lines of stickers on the floor so they know where to go. The areas where they work are typically surrounded by fences to keep robots and people separated. Meanwhile, a centralized fleet controller tells each robot what path of stickers to follow to carry out a task. I guess you can say those robots like to stay on the straight and narrow, yeah?
I, on the other hand, don’t need any fencing or stickers. I’ve got sensors that make me aware of my environment so that I can navigate my work area, and then stop quickly when something comes too close to me. That something could be a cart, a chute, another robot, or even a person. In other words, I think fast on my feet. Or rather, my wheels.
Wheeling out
Before I take you around on my typical workday, let’s get to know each other better, shall we? Consider this our meet-cute: I was born in October 2022 at our Boston robotics facility, and I scored my first job at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Nashville. I was named after one of the moons of Neptune (always shoot for the stars, right?), and I come from a big family of 750,000 mobile robots across our U.S. fulfillment centers.
Need a lift?
So what exactly do I do? I lift and move large, wheeled carts in the outbound area of a fulfillment center. Each cart is filled with packages that are ready to ship out. Some of these carts can weigh up to 800 pounds.
With me in the picture, my co-workers no longer have to do the heavy lifting. This means there’s less chance of stress and injury, which translates to better productivity and health for employees, while also introducing opportunities for employees to take on new roles working with robots like me. It also means packages can move faster through our warehouses, and get to you even sooner.
The lowdown
On a typical workday, I handle two shifts of about 10 hours each. After my buddy Cardinal stacks packages onto a rolling cart, I scoot on over, position myself under the cart, lift it, and carry it to the next step in our fulfillment process. Then, I head back to Cardinal to grab the next cart.
I like to keep a low profile at work—like, really low: I stand only 7.8 inches tall. But don’t let this compact frame fool you. I pack some serious muscle and can lift up to nearly 900 pounds. (Yes, my workout includes spinning—sans bike.) I chirp when there’s something in front of me to alert everyone that I’ve seen them and will avoid them. This way, I don’t get in anybody’s way while they continue to work.
Break it down
Every two hours or so, I take a quick watercooler break to recharge—literally. There are charging docks located throughout the building, and I find the nearest one, back up into it, and take a little “sip” of energy. (You take your sips of coffee; I take my sips of electricity. Bingo—we both get a jolt.) This takes me about 15 minutes, before I head back to work.
I interact autonomously with these chargers and know where all of them are located. I also know where I’m supposed to go for my next task. How? Through special technology developed by Amazon that uses Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, or SLAM. It’s a virtual map of my environment, and, like a GPS, my sensors tell me where I am with respect to that map. I'm then free to choose my own path.
Everything is managed by a computerized warehouse management system that orchestrates what everyone in the building is doing, from the people to the robots. That’s how I get my marching orders, so I know when, say, a truck is arriving and I need to bring a cart to it.
Powered by people
As independent as I am, none of my work would be possible without the help of my human colleagues. There are whole teams of people whose jobs ensure that I can do my job well. For instance, “floor monitors” keep the area around me clear, and they check for objects lying around or any liquid spills that could become a hazard to both people and robots. There’s also a maintenance engineering team that keeps me in tip-top shape. They handle everything from mechanical and repair issues, to cleaning my lenses, to managing the software that makes me operate.
This is my colleague Conor Vance. He’s a mechatronics technician at our fulfillment center in Nashville and makes sure that all my moving parts are moving just the way we want them to. He takes care of tuning up anything that needs to be calibrated. I’ll let him explain his work to you.
“We perform a 13-week preventive maintenance, which includes taking Proteus apart, cleaning the cameras and sensors,” Conor says. “We'll wipe it down with some alcohol pads, clean the wheels, and back it out, just to make sure there's no dust or dirt debris build-up. We’ll hook it up to the computer and run diagnostic tests as well. If there are any issues, we'll get those parts replaced. Otherwise, we’ll send it to the diagnostic center to test its cameras, make sure that it's good to go, and send it on its way. If it didn't have us to clean the lenses, it’s just like if we didn't wear glasses: It wouldn't be able to see. And if it didn't have us to replace its wheels, then it wouldn't be able to move.”
Yeah, Conor’s been a terrific help. And it’s great that I’m able to return that favor: One of the cool things about my job is that it actually helps create even more jobs for people to work with me. Amazon’s got a program called Career Choice, which provides training to employees who, among other careers, want to work as maintenance engineers for our robots. So, as our robot fleet grows, so does the need for skilled people like Conor to work with us.
“One of the things I like most about working with Amazon, and I've been here for nine years, is how many things there are to learn,” Conor tells me. “There is a lot of opportunity to upskill. I've done so many different positions, and it just seems like there are so many more things to learn to help improve my career. Honestly, it still feels like I'm training every time, and it feels like I'm learning something new. I'm going faster, and I'm figuring out different ways of how to make this work for me better. So it's been a continuing education.”
Just another day at the office
See? My day isn’t any different from yours, really. It’s filled with interesting people to hang out with, places to go, things to carry around, and task lists to check off. I just happen to work in a cool place that’s finding cutting-edge ways for humans and robots to collaborate harmoniously and safely—all to make sure your packages arrive right at your doorstep, right when you want them.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head back to work. I think I see a cart that needs a little push. Time to roll along…
