New Amazon warehouse robot can handle ONE THOUSAND items per hour using 'pinch-grasp' technology

A new'pinch-grasping' robot system unveiled by Amazon shows the machine deftly grabbing and stowing a wide range of items - moving at a rate of 1,000 items per hour, which is far faster than a human worker could. Although humans don't spend much time figuring out how to grasp a bottle from the back of the fridge that might fall and break open, teaching a robot to deal with cluttered spaces, locate a wide range of items and deftly move them is a challenge for the retail giant's robotics division. In a video posted to Amazon's science blog, the robot prototype can be seen using its finger-like pinchers to move and stow 19 items - including small bags, a broom, a spice container and a small box - in 60 seconds. A new'pinch-grasping' robot system unveiled by Amazon shows the machine deftly grabbing and stowing a wide range of items - moving at a rate of 1,000 items per hour, which is far faster than a human worker could In a video posted to Amazon's science blog, the robot prototype can be seen using its finger-like pinchers to move and stow 19 items - including small bags, a broom, a spice container and a small box - in 60 seconds This is an improvement over existing warehouse robotic systems that use vacuum-like suction cups to lift and move items. Some packages, like books which may flop open if only grasped on one side, require other innovations.