Amazon is creating a $40 million robotics hub
The world-class facility will design, build, programme and ship robots
Amazon is ramping up its commitment to robotics by creating a $40 million (£31m) innovation hub in Westborough, a town 35 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts.
The centre is slated to open in 2021 and will create about 200 tech and advanced manufacturing jobs.
Chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, Tye Brady, described the hub as a “world-class facility, where our teams can design, build, programme and ship our robots – all under the same roof.
“This expansion will allow us to continue to innovate quickly and improve delivery speed for customers around the world,” added Brady.
Amazon has been a significant player in robotics in the Massachusetts region since it acquired North Reading-based Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012. At the time it was the second largest acquisition in the company's history. Amazon says it has invested over $3 billion in the state since 2011.
Since 2012 the robotics division has been focused on making warehouse robots that stack and move goods at its distribution centers. According to company data it has deployed more than 200,000 drive units in over 50 fulfillment centres worldwide.
In the summer the company unveiled details about the role of robots in its distribution centre near Denver Colorado in a blog post. Amazon claims that the robots, known as Pegasus, have already logged more than 1.5 million miles of driving.
