The Future Has Arms: Smart Robotics in Logistics
Amazon’s new robot can feel, and it’s sparking new debates on automation, labor, and the future divide.
Amazon has developed a new robot for its warehouses. It's called Vulcan, and it's already operational in Spokane (United States) and Hamburg (Germany).
Unlike traditional robots, Vulcan doesn't just "see"—it feels: it's equipped with two grippers with integrated conveyor belts and a probe that regulates the force needed to grasp each item, learning over time to become more efficient. In other words, it has an "artificial sense of touch," though still far from human capability.
According to Amazon, Vulcan can autonomously handle 75% of the types of packages typically processed in a warehouse, especially those stored in hard-to-reach areas for operators, such as the highest or lowest shelves.
Amazon has been investing in robotics for over a decade and now has over 750,000 active robots in its global warehouse network. Vulcan is just the latest—and perhaps the most advanced—of a generation of machines not designed to replace humans, but to radically transform their role.
So, what will warehouses look like in 2054? Will they be populated only by machines? Will human presence still be needed? And most importantly: will this evolution be truly accessible to everyone, or remain a privilege of corporate giants, leaving behind those with fewer resources for innovation?
Changing Robots
The history of robotics in warehouses didn't begin with Vulcan. It's a long-standing process that has transformed once-static operational spaces into true dynamic ecosystems. We've moved from rigid solutions like automated vertical warehouses using fixed rails on shelving, to intelligent mobile robots capable of adapting to their environment in real time.
The first steps, in the early 1950s, were recorded in the U.S. manufacturing and automotive sectors, where AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) were introduced—robots that follow pre-set paths guided by magnetic tapes, QR codes, or RFID sensors. These are efficient systems that require environments tailored to maximize their potential.
The first leap forward came with AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots), capable of mapping spaces, detecting obstacles, and changing paths autonomously. They are smarter, more autonomous, and more adaptable. And above all, they can cooperate with one another, thanks to integration with cloud technologies and, prospectively, low-latency 5G networks and AI-based solutions.
In 1996, the term "cobot" was coined—passive, motorless robots designed to collaborate safely with humans. Cobots do not replace humans—they work alongside them: lifting loads, performing repetitive or hazardous tasks, improving ergonomics; and they do it without physical barriers, using proximity sensors, artificial touch, and shared safety protocols.
In the early 2000s, cobots evolved thanks to the integration of force sensors, computer vision, and smart motion controls, becoming commercially available by 2008. Later, they advanced through teaching-by-guiding principles: humans guide the movement, and the machine memorizes it, reproducing it autonomously.
In 2025, Vulcan enters the scene with its successors: now there are robots that learn to "feel". Equipped with artificial touch, they can adjust grip, recognize materials, and adapt to object shapes.
The Challenge of Adaptability
The biggest challenge today is not technological but contextual: it's adaptability. Every warehouse is a world of its own: layout, goods types, volumes, and flows differ. There's no one-size-fits-all solution. Yet the path is clear: from now until 2054, logistics will become increasingly autonomous, interconnected, and intelligent.
The Paradoxes
The key is understanding what is needed today to move in this direction without falling behind. Because robots like Vulcan are not affordable for everyone. Currently, these technologies are adopted by large global companies, with centralized warehouses, high volumes, ample resources, and in-house innovation teams. In other words, they're used by those handling large volumes of small-sized goods, like e-commerce giants and major retailers. Outside that narrow circle, the risk is growing inequality.
It’s not just about the purchase cost (which can exceed 50–60,000 euros per machine), but also: software, maintenance, integration, training, updates. Often, it’s necessary to redesign the warehouse layout.
For many SMEs, this leap is still out of reach. Technology risks driving further consolidation, with large firms continuing to grow and automate, while smaller ones struggle. The competitive gap widens.
Innovation is an accelerator, but it is not neutral: without access policies, targeted incentives, and widespread training, it risks deepening inequality. Progress can’t be stopped, but we must understand who drives it, who follows it—and who is left behind.
New Jobs
It’s also true that innovation won’t necessarily eliminate jobs, but it will transform them. In robotized warehouses, human labor may give way to machines, but there will be more room for new skills: less physical strength, more oversight, maintenance, and control.
We’ll need technicians capable of configuring and managing robots, operators who can communicate with machines, and hybrid profiles bridging logistics, IT, and maintenance. Not necessarily engineering graduates, but people trained in new skills: mechatronics, sensors, interfaces, cloud, and human-machine flow management.
According to Amazon, introducing Vulcan has not reduced employment, but increased technical roles, sometimes through internal training programs. The goal is not just replacing strenuous tasks, but enriching human roles with more qualified responsibilities.
Logistics, powered by advances in IT, is bringing about more effective solutions and profound changes, both within companies and in society. This raises key questions: Who will access training? How can we support this transition? How do we envision the future of work—and teach it, starting from school?
In 2054
Today, Vulcan knows how much pressure to apply to pick up a package. Tomorrow, perhaps, a robot will sense a human colleague’s fatigue, adjusting its pace to the stress level around it.
We're still in the realm of speculation, but it's not so far-fetched to imagine a trajectory from strength to touch, and from touch to empathy.
In 2054, warehouses may not (only) be silent spaces populated by machines. They could be mixed environments, where humans and robots adapt to and recognize one another. A place where a cobot slows down when it detects you're struggling, where an intelligent system assigns shifts based not only on efficiency but on people’s well-being.
If robots can learn to feel through artificial touch, perhaps one day they will also learn to sense human emotion.
This post was co-authored by Marco Bertoli, Partner at BIP, and Fabio Mariano, Lead Consultant at BIP.
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The CNBC special is dedicated to observing Vulcan in action at the warehouse in Spokane, Washington. According to the company, the development of Vulcan took about three years and a team of 250 people.
Our word for this post is Cobot
A robot designed to safely work alongside humans, without the need for physical barriers. Unlike traditional industrial robots, cobots are equipped with proximity sensors, artificial touch, and shared safety protocols, allowing them to detect human presence and adapt their movements accordingly.
They perform repetitive, strenuous, or potentially hazardous tasks, improving ergonomics and reducing risks. More advanced models can learn new actions through teaching-by-guiding, memorizing movements demonstrated by the operator.
Cobots represent a tangible step toward a new integration between humans and machines, where collaboration is physical, intelligent, and real-time.
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