Amazon’s Vulcan Robot Brings Human-Like Touch to the Warehouse Floor

• Vulcan’s physical AI and force feedback system let it feel, adjust, and work with finesse — reducing strain on human workers.
• Now handling 75% of Amazon’s stored inventory types, Vulcan is set to scale across the U.S. and Europe.

At its Delivering the Future event in Germany, Amazon unveiled Vulcan, its most advanced warehouse robot to date — and its first with a sense of touch. Developed over several years using real-world physical data, Vulcan marks a leap forward in human-robot collaboration.

Unlike earlier systems like Sparrow or Hercules, Vulcan doesn’t just see — it feels. With sensors that detect pressure and contact, it can push items aside, adjust grip strength, and avoid overexerting force as it stows or picks objects from dense inventory pods. It can even recognize when it can’t handle an item, automatically asking a human colleague to step in.

This added finesse allows Vulcan to operate at speeds comparable to human workers, handling roughly 75% of stored product types. More importantly, it’s reshaping the warehouse experience: Vulcan takes on high and low inventory slots that once required employees to climb ladders or crouch — making work safer and more ergonomic.

Vulcan is already deployed in fulfillment centers in Washington and Germany, and will roll out across Europe and the U.S. in the coming years. It represents a convergence of robotics, physical AI, and Amazon-scale deployment — not just making operations faster, but also changing how people and machines work together.

🌀 Remix Reality Take:
Robotic touch isn’t just a milestone — it’s a mindset shift. Vulcan shows what happens when machines stop smashing through tasks and start feeling their way forward, side by side with humans.

Source: Amazon Newsroom