In 2022 we saw big movements in the robotics industry, from high-profile lawsuits to big acquisitions to exciting new robots and deployments, there was no shortage of news to cover this year. Here are the top 10 most popular stories on The Robot Report in 2022. Subscribe to The Robot Report Newsletter or listen to The Robot Report Podcast to stay updated on the robotics stories you need to know about. Early this year, Amazon unveiled its first-ever autonomous mobile robot (AMR) Proteus. The company first entered the mobile robot space in 2012, when it acquired Kiva Systems for $775 million.

A decade after Amazon made its first foray into robotics with its acquisition of Kiva Systems, the e-commerce giant is acquiring iRobot for $1.7 billion. While completion of the transaction is still subject to customary closing conditions, the deal expands Amazon's already extensive robotics portfolio. Here's a look at the company's robotics acquisitions and some of its investments and notable robots developed internally. It's impossible to talk about Amazon's history in robotics without talking about Kiva Systems. Amazon acquired the mobile robot company in 2012 for $775 million.

A DECADE AGO Amazon started to introduce robots into its "fulfilment centres", as online retailers call their giant distribution warehouses. Instead of having people wandering up and down rows of shelves picking goods to complete orders, the machines would lift and then carry the shelves to the pickers. That saved time and money. Amazon now has more than 350,000 robots of various sorts deployed worldwide. But it is not enough to secure its future.

Amazon eight years ago purchased robotic fulfilment system maker Kiva Systems for $775 million, a deal paying very clear dividends now as the acquisition boosted delivery capacity from warehouses. Luca Ramotti, an analyst at Legal & General Investment Management, said the firm recently heard from the co-founder of Kiva Systems, Raffaello D'Andrea, who said Amazon has been able to deploy hundreds of thousands of mobile robots that run on artificial intelligence.

The deal reminds us of Amazon's 2012 purchase of Kiva Systems, which kick-started an arms race to automate supply chains, warehouses, and fulfillment centers. In fact, since the inception of the ROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index, logistics and warehouse automation has been its best performing subsector, returning over 220%, including more than 30% so far in 2019. With 4 deals in the past 12 months, Shopify has been on a bona fide acquisition spree. That said, the 6 River acquisition is its first warehouse fulfillment-related deal, and may well be the most important acquisition to date in the company's quest to transition into a global retail operating system that spans global fulfillment and brick-and-mortar operations from a single e-commerce platform solution provider. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Massachusetts, 6 River Systems provides collaborative mobile robots to enhance warehouse fulfillment solutions.

Shopify today announced it is acquiring 6 River Systems, a startup focused on fulfillment automation for ecommerce and retail operations. The deal is valued at approximately $450 million -- 60% in cash and 40% in shares. At its Unite partner and developer conference in June, the company announced its Shopify Fulfillment Network, which uses machine learning to ensure timely deliveries and lower shipping costs. Shopify's fulfillment centers span California, Georgia, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The network, which is only available in early access, supports merchants that ship between 10 and 10,000 packages per day.

Robots must be smarter if they're going to pack boxes in warehouses, scan inventory in stores, and even care for the elderly. The rise of machine learning in recent years is making that possible. Steady innovation has led to robots that can independently "learn" to navigate tight corridors and grasp delicate objects without crushing them. Some of the leading American and Japanese robotics companies and investors recently gathered in Menlo Park, Calif. to discuss artificial intelligence in robotics and its impact on business. But it may require some cooperation between the U.S. and an important overseas ally.

Robots must be smarter if they're going to pack boxes in warehouses, scan inventory in stores, and even care for the elderly. The rise of machine learning in recent years is making that possible. Steady innovation has led to robots that can independently "learn" to navigate tight corridors and grasp delicate objects without crushing them. Some of the leading American and Japanese robotics companies and investors recently gathered in Menlo Park, Calif. to discuss artificial intelligence in robotics and its impact on business. But it may require some cooperation between the U.S. and an important overseas ally.

Starting with its acquisition of Kiva Systems for $775 million back in 2012, Amazon has been steadily investing in a robotic future. From delivery drones to a rumored home robot to a robotics picking challenge, Amazon definitely wants useful, practical robots to happen. We're not always sure that they're going about it the right way, but we are always in favor of companies with as much clout as Amazon has recognizing that robotics is worth focusing on, especially with an understanding that some problems are going to take years of work to solve. Brad Porter is the vice president of robotics at Amazon. He joined the company over a decade ago, initially working on Amazon's web operations and e-commerce architecture.

E-commerce sales for 2017 were $453.5 billion in the U.S. and $1.1 trillion in China, an increase of 16.0% and 32.6% respectively over 2016. This upward trend is projected to continue for the next many years. Consequently flexibility and an ability to handle an ever-increasing number of parcels is of concern to warehousing, fulfillment and distribution center (DC) managers around the world. Handling, distribution, transport and delivery – and the amortization of facility setup charges which often represent more cost than raw materials and manufacturing combined – are part of mounting challenges faced by today's fulfillment executives. Accordingly, warehousing and material handling are a big business for hundreds of different types of companies that provide conveyors, rollers, racks, vision systems, hoists, shelving, electric motors, slides, barcode readers, printers, ladders, gantries, tugs, forklifts, skids, totes, carts, and software systems of all types.