In a massive 1.2 million square foot warehouse in Tracy, Calif., more than 3,000 robots are helping Amazon keep up with customer's orders.
The Kiva robots, pictured here, are square, squat utilitarian machines. They're able to lift as much as 750 pounds, allowing them to bring shelves to the employees packaging orders.
There are now more than 15,000 Kiva robots in use at Amazon fulfillment centers in the United States. They have increased the capacity of the warehouse space, with the centers able to hold 50 percent more inventory using the Kiva system.
The Kiva robots line up, and when it arrives, the employees -- called "pickers" -- selects the proper items from the shelf. Rather than the employees wandering through a massive warehouse to find an item, the shelf come right to them.
A look at the center eye on top of the Kiva robot, which aligns itself with the shelf, lifts it up, and carries the product-filled shelf to the order-filling "Picker."
A look down the aisles of the 1.2 million square foot fulfillment centers. A seemingly endless maze, with Kiva robots patiently negotiating one another's paths.
Boxes rattle along conveyor belts, up ramps and down chutes on the path to order fulfillment. The loud drone of machinery fills the air, filling orders 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
