Amazon patent shows employees in cage on top of a robot
- 6 years ago
SEATTLE — Amazon patented a human machine transport system that pairs up humans and machines.
According to the Seattle Times, illustrations that go with the patent, which was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in 2016, show a cage-like enclosure around a work space positioned on top of a robotic trolley.
The company says it does not intend to use the technology, but said it was designed to allow humans to enter robot-only zones in Amazon's automated warehouses to make repairs or retrieve dropped objects.
Amazon also said the system could be used to cut across an off-limits work space to reach a restroom.
The reference to the cage transport system appears in a case study of the systems that make up Amazon's Echo ecosystem by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler published on September 7.
According to the Seattle Times, illustrations that go with the patent, which was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in 2016, show a cage-like enclosure around a work space positioned on top of a robotic trolley.
The company says it does not intend to use the technology, but said it was designed to allow humans to enter robot-only zones in Amazon's automated warehouses to make repairs or retrieve dropped objects.
Amazon also said the system could be used to cut across an off-limits work space to reach a restroom.
The reference to the cage transport system appears in a case study of the systems that make up Amazon's Echo ecosystem by Kate Crawford and Vladan Joler published on September 7.