Amazon just unveiled Blue Jay, a suspended robotic system that can pick, sort, and consolidate warehouse items simultaneously - handling roughly 75% of everything the company stores. The multi-armed robot is already operating in a South Carolina facility, marking another leap in Amazon's push to automate its massive fulfillment network.
Amazon is reshaping warehouse work again. The company's latest Blue Jay robotic system represents a significant leap from single-purpose automation to true multi-tasking machinery that could fundamentally change how fulfillment centers operate.
The Blue Jay system features multiple robotic arms suspended from ceiling-mounted conveyor tracks, each equipped with suction-cup grippers that adapt to items of varying shapes and sizes. What makes this deployment noteworthy isn't just the technology - it's the consolidation. Blue Jay combines what previously required three separate robotic stations into one streamlined workplace that can pick, sort, and consolidate simultaneously, according to Amazon's announcement.
The timing couldn't be more significant. The New York Times just published an investigation revealing that Amazon's automation team expects to avoid hiring more than 160,000 people in the U.S. by 2027, potentially saving about 30 cents on every item the company packs and delivers. The report, based on internal strategy documents, puts Blue Jay's debut in stark context.
"The materials appear to reflect the perspective of just one team and don't represent our overall hiring strategy," an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in response to the Times investigation. But the company's actions speak differently - Blue Jay joins an expanding fleet that includes Vulcan, the touch-sensing robot Amazon introduced in May, and systems capable of removing items from shelves and sorting boxes.
