Amazon builds robot with tactile senses that can actually feel what it's grabbing
- Amazon has introduced new robots named Vulcan
- These bots have tactile senses, so they can touch and feel packages
- The company wants the robots to work alongside human employees
Published on May 29, 2025 at 1:42 AM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on May 29, 2025 at 9:17 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Amazon has introduced new robots with tactile senses, which means they can feel what they’re grabbing.
The online retail giant has developed a new robot for use in its warehouses, enabling it to locate the correct product to ship to customers.
Amazon hopes that the robot’s tactile feel can be a game changer, and allow it to take on even more fulfillment work in the coming years.
The new development marks an interesting step for the global company, which is always looking at ways to streamline its processes.
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Amazon has given the name Vulcan to the robots and says it is a meaningful step towards them being less ‘sausage-fingered’ compared to human beings.
The idea is that its tactile powers allow it to push items around on a shelf and identify what it’s after.
That could, in theory, save time when picking up orders for delivery to the customers.
Vulcan has a conventional robotic arm, but with a fancy gadget.
This is a custom spatula appendage for poking around on a shelf.
The robot then has a sucker which it can use to grab items and pull them out.
Sensors on its joints allow it to identify edges and contours of items.
The sensor signals also aid in controlling how the robot performs its actions.
Amazon took the covers off the new robot at one of its fulfillment centers in Hamburg, Germany.
And it’s already being put to use in Hamburg, as well as at a facility in Spokane, Washington, in the United States.
While they will work alongside humans, the robots won’t be used to replace them.
The idea is to spare workers from tasks that could lead to back problems, either with high-up or low-down items.
If the Vulcan robot can’t find its desired item, then it will simply reassign the task to a human worker.
There are, however, some concerns that robots will ultimately put a lot of real people out of work.
Amazon says it doesn’t believe in ‘100 percent’ automation and wants robots working alongside existing employees.
We will have to watch and wait to see how Amazon implements Vulcan alongside its human workers.
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a leading heritage steam railway in England.
