Why Amazon Is Naming New Warehouse Robots After Muppets

Shortly before Prime Day in June, Amazon announced it was developing two robots for its infamously demanding distribution centers. Named "Bert" and "Ernie" after the Sesame Street Muppets, the robots, Amazon claimed, would help relieve the physical burden of its jobs by autonomously carting materials through distribution center floors and lifting heavy totes off shelves. They were not, the company stressed, intended to increase speed or replace workers, but to improve safety and free workers for tasks "that require…critical thinking skills." According to the company, the robots weren't some nefarious plot; instead, they embodied its empathy for workers and commitment to innovations that would help consumers and employees alike. The announcement's timing was convenient.