Amazon looks to automate ‘Holy Grail’ with Sparrow robot arm

Analysis:
Amazon built an e-commerce giant in part by automating the movement of goods around its warehouses. One task that has remained the ‘Holy Grail’ of robotics is picking individual items to be shipped. Sparrow has started to change that and could further optimize Amazon’s already industry-leading supply chain. Many third-party companies built bin-picking robots that they tried to sell to Amazon. But Amazon didn’t bite, perhaps because said systems couldn’t reliably handle enough of Amazon’s inventory. If Sparrow can, it will be another game-changer for Amazon, ala Kiva’s automated guided vehicles and Amazon’s new Proteus autonomous mobile robot. Sparrow could be a boon for Amazon’s stalling logistics operations during a period of cost-cutting and help propel bin-picking systems much further into the larger supply chain industry. - Steve Crowe