Blending physical AI with advanced robotics, Vulcan brings human-like dexterity to Amazon’s warehouses—enhancing safety, precision, and collaboration in fulfillment operations

At its Delivering the Future event in Dortmund, Germany, Amazon announced the debut of Vulcan, a groundbreaking robot that introduces a fundamental new capability to warehouse automation: the sense of touch.

Unlike previous robotic systems that rely primarily on vision and pre-programmed motions, Vulcan is engineered to physically “feel” the objects it handles—offering a major leap forward in dexterity, safety, and efficiency across Amazon’s vast network of fulfillment centers.

“Vulcan represents a fundamental leap forward in robotics,”

said Aaron Parness, Amazon’s Director of Applied Science.

“It’s not just seeing the world, it’s feeling it—enabling capabilities that were impossible for Amazon robots until now.”

The announcement was made via Amazon’s official blog post and showcased how Vulcan is already transforming warehouse operations in locations such as Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany.

From “Numb and Dumb” to Tactile Intelligence

While robots have become adept at tasks ranging from autonomous driving to cleaning pet hair, most commercial units lack a sense of touch—rendering them fragile or clumsy in environments that require nuance.

“In the past, when industrial robots have unexpected contact, they either emergency stop or smash through that contact,”

said Parness.

“They often don’t even know they have hit something.”

This is the problem Vulcan was built to solve.

Equipped with advanced force-feedback sensors and an “end of arm tooling” system that mimics human-like grip adjustments, Vulcan can manipulate items with care—gently repositioning objects inside densely packed bins without causing damage.

Its design resembles a ruler attached to a hair straightener, where:

• The ruler component makes space in crowded bins,
• The paddles grip and insert items using built-in conveyor belts that help “zhoop” them into place.

Vulcan’s ability to pick and stow items makes our associates’ jobs easier—and our operations more efficient.

Built for the Bin: Solving Amazon’s Unique Storage Challenge

In Amazon’s warehouses, items are stored in fabric-covered pods split into one-foot square compartments—each containing up to ten items. The irregularity and density of these compartments have long posed a challenge to robotic systems.

While earlier robots like Sparrow, Cardinal, and Robin relied on computer vision and suction cups to handle packages, they lacked the tactile intelligence to finesse objects in tight spaces. Vulcan, however, changes the game.

Using a suction-based picking arm guided by a camera and stereo vision system, Vulcan identifies items and the best gripping points while avoiding accidental co-extraction of surrounding objects—an error engineers refer to as “co-extracting non-target items.”

Vulcan can pick and stow about 75% of the diverse inventory found in fulfillment centers, performing at speeds that rival Amazon’s human workers. And when it encounters an object it can’t confidently handle, it’s smart enough to call in a human colleague—striking a balance between AI autonomy and human judgment.

Vulcan uses an arm that carries a camera and a suction cup to pick items from our storage pods.

Enhancing Safety and Ergonomics for Employees

One of Vulcan’s key contributions is in improving worker safety and reducing ergonomic strain.

Traditionally, reaching items stored in the top or bottom rows of pods—some as high as eight feet—required workers to use ladders or stoop to floor level. Vulcan now handles these less ergonomic zones, allowing employees to work comfortably at waist height.

“Working alongside Vulcan, we can pick and stow with greater ease,”

said Kari Freitas Hardy, a front-line employee at Amazon’s Spokane facility.

“It’s great to see how many of my co-workers have gained new job skills and taken on more technical roles.”

The company has already deployed over 750,000 robots across its operations, including systems like Proteus, Titan, and Hercules, all built to handle physically demanding tasks. Vulcan is the latest and most advanced addition in this line—focusing on precision and adaptability rather than brute strength.

Vulcan will let our associates spend less time on step ladders and more time working in their power zone.

A Decade of Robotics Innovation

Amazon’s approach to robotics has never been about building flashy tech for its own sake. Instead, the company zeroes in on specific operational problems and builds purpose-driven solutions.

“We pick out important problems and find or develop solutions—we don’t create interesting tech and then look for ways to use it,”

Parness emphasized.

Vulcan’s development began with a simple observation: each time a worker uses a ladder to access a high shelf, efficiency drops and injury risk increases. Tackling this required breakthroughs in physical AI, including:

• Real-world training based on tactile feedback rather than simulation,
• Algorithms to identify item types and bin availability,
• Adaptive grip mechanics to handle everything from tubes of toothpaste to delicate electronics.

Vulcan was trained on thousands of real-world scenarios, and like a child learning through experience, it improves its understanding of object properties through trial and error.

“This is a technology that three years ago seemed impossible,”

Parness said,

“but is now set to help transform our operations.”

Vulcan represents “a technology that three years ago seemed impossible but is now set to help transform our operations,” says Aaron Parness, Amazon’s director of robotics AI.

Empowering the Workforce of the Future

The ripple effects of Vulcan extend beyond automation. As robots take on more of the physical burden, Amazon is investing in reskilling its workforce through programs like Career Choice, helping employees transition into roles like robotics maintenance and automation systems engineering.

With robots now assisting in 75% of customer orders, Amazon’s strategy appears to be less about replacing humans and more about augmenting them—with Vulcan standing as the latest proof that automation and human labor can coexist and even elevate each other.

Images/Photos: Amazon