Amazon uses more than 750,000 robots to deliver shelves directly to warehouse workers.

Amazon's massive robotic fleet is primarily the result of its 2012 acquisition of Kiva Systems for $775 million. As of late 2023, the company reported having over 750,000 robots deployed across its global fulfillment network. These machines, often called 'Drive Units,' are low-profile, wheeled robots that use QR codes on the floor to navigate precisely within a fenced-off 'robotic field.'The system utilizes a 'goods-to-person' model, which eliminates the need for wide aisles required for human pickers or forklifts. By packing shelving units, known as pods, back-to-back, Amazon can store up to 50% more inventory in the same square footage. When a customer places an order, the central computer dispatches a robot to find the specific pod containing the item and transport it to a human packer.In 2023, Amazon introduced newer robotic systems like 'Proteus,' its first fully autonomous mobile robot that can safely navigate around humans using advanced lidar and perception technology. Another innovation, 'Sparrow,' uses computer vision and AI to handle millions of individual items of varying shapes and textures. These advancements have reduced the time it takes to process an order from hours to mere minutes, significantly lowering operational costs and enabling services like same-day delivery.