Boston Dynamics Robot Spotted in DHL Warehouse: Robots Taking Over Jobs?

Urian B., Tech Times 30 January 2022, 09:01 pm

Robots from Boston Dynamics have finally found a job in the DHL warehouse. The deal is worth $15 million and aims to help with the company's Accelerate Digitalization strategy.

The Start of Boston Dynamics

According to the story by SlashGear, Boston Dynamics was "initially spun out of" the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) back in 1992. It was then bought by Google in 2013 before it was sold to Softbank in 2017.

As of press time, Boston Dynamics is owned by Hyundai with an 80% stake. Softbank retaining 20% through affiliate.

Boston Dynamics revealed in its latest announcement that the company will deliver a fleet of Stretch robots to different DHL warehouses located acorss North America. The company is planning to do this over the course of the three years.

Stretch Designed for Industrial Tasks

When Stretch was initially introduced, it had a lot of design and engineering breakthroughs. Per the SlashGear report, "Stretch looks like it belongs in a warehouse" and the robot was described as versatile as well as capable of identifying boxes.

The robot is said to be able to do this while reaching for the boxes or moving them to a different location.

The robot also has a "smart gripper" capable of grabbing different sized boxes. The machine also comes with computer vision technology from Boston Dynamics.

This technology allows it to "autonomously seek out and grab boxes without the need for special programming." This also makes the robot capable of working in and around disorganized boxes and recovering boxes that have fallen.

DHL on the Company's Commitment Towards 'Continuous Innovation and Digital Transformation'

According to Sally Miller, the Supply Chain North America CIO of DHL, the company is committed towards "continuous innovation and digital transformation" in order for them to optimize the end-to-end supply chain.

The company has also stated that they are investing in "warehouse automation plays," which is seen to have an important role when it comes to improving their service for customers. This is because it increases operational efficiency.

Deal Costs $15 Million as Part of DHL's Accelerate Digitalization Strategy

The company stated that they are excited to partner with Boston Dynamics for the working robots in their warehouse. To add, Miller says that the Stretch robot is capable of addressing "complex industry challenges through flexible automation," which is said to be replicable and scalable on both a regional and global level.

The deal is part of DHL's Accelerated Digitalization strategy. According to the company, the Stretch robots will be deployed in chosen facilities. They will be helping with unloading trucks.

Benefits of Using a Robot in the Workspace

DHL, however, plans to expand Stretch to different areas of warehouse workflows as the company plans to automate more warehouse operations. Automation is seen to help the company "maintain supply chain continuity," which has been disrupted recently thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Per the SlashGear report, other advantages of Stretch include potential savings in costs, being able to reduce reducing employee exposure to injuries in the workplace, and lessening supply chain disruption.