Amazon is developing a robot that warehouse workers can talk to

Amazon announced a new version of its fully autonomous warehouse robot. ProteusWhich can interact using language instead of code. The expanded capabilities come as part of a growing pivot toward automation as the e-commerce giant replaces its human workers with robots.

Amazon says the AI-powered upgrade means its human employees can assign robot tasks in the same way they communicate with colleagues. Previously, workers needed to use specialized software to guide the turtle-like floor systems, which were designed to lift heavy weights and move large carts throughout Amazon warehouses. “You tell it what to do,” says Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics. “It sets the priority, the route, and the timing.”

The next-generation Proteus will also work across a much larger area than the one currently used, which Amazon says only works in curbside areas. “The new system can work anywhere items need to be transported,” the company says. This includes transporting containers as they arrive on site, moving them between workstations, and assisting employees across fulfillment centers and delivery sites.

The new system is currently being tested in Amazon laboratories, but the company says it plans to deploy it in Europe during the first half of 2027.

Proteus is part of Amazon’s broader robotics roadmap. It says it plans to expand its touch-sensitive robot, which is called… Vulcana collaborative baggage handling system first piloted in Barcelona, ​​will be rolled out to more locations across Europe next year.

Amazon says it is “creating new jobs alongside these technologies” and claims to have hired hundreds of thousands of employees globally since introducing robots into its operations. Company He insists Its robots are designed to support workers and streamline operations, rather than… replace Hundreds of thousands of workers with robots.