Amazon presents a new Proteus robot as part of an investment of more than 10,000 million in its European logistics network

Amazon has presented the new generation of Proteusits autonomous warehouse robot, which now has the ability to assist employees, who can communicate with it using natural language.

Proteus is an autonomous robot that Amazon presented in 2023, designed to move carts with heavy loads (up to 400 kilograms) through the loading and unloading area of ​​the warehouse without hindering the work of employees.

Now, Amazon has introduced a new generation that can move throughout the warehouse, without being limited to the dock area, to move containers to facilities and between different workstations, expanding the support offered to workers.

The update has improved the interaction between workers and the robot, since they can now communicate with it through natural and conversational languagewithout the need to use technical commands or programming interfaces.

The Proteus update was presented during the ‘Delivering the Future’ celebration in London (United Kingdom), where it confirmed its intention that this new autonomous robot, currently in the testing phase, arrive in Europe during the first quarter of 2027.

The company is also working on new assistive technologies and systems capable of manipulating individual objects with increasing precision. Among them is STARK, a collaborative robotic system who works alongside professionals collecting filled containers and placing them on carts. After its first implementation in Barcelona, ​​Amazon plans to extend STARK to 15 centers in Europe before 2027.

Another of the innovations shown at the event is Vulcan, Amazon’s first robotic system equipped with a sense of touch which was already presented last year. With its ability to “see and feel” objects simultaneously, the robot can operate in densely packed spaces and perform increasingly complex sorting tasks. Originally developed for an Amazon center in Spokane, Washington, United States, the system has already been expanded to the fulfillment center in Hamburg, Germany.

The new generation of Proteus is part of Amazon’s plan to invest more than 10,000 million euros over the next few years with the aim of expanding and modernizing its logistics network in Europe. This investment also includes the expansion of Vulcan.

As part of this commitment, Amazon plans create 25,000 new jobs in its European logistics network over the coming years.