AI buzzwords explained

Abstract

Kiva Systems was founded in 2003 to develop robot technology that automates the fetching of goods in order-fulfillment centers. It was acquired by Amazon in 2012 and changed its name to Amazon Robotics in 2014. Amazon order-fulfillment centers have inventory stations on the perimeter of the warehouse and storage locations in its center, see Figure 1 . Each storage location can store one inventory pod. Each inventory pod holds one or more kinds of goods. A large number of warehouse robots operate autonomously in the warehouse. Each warehouse robot is able to pick up, carry and put down one inventory pod at a time. The warehouse robots move inventory pods from their storage locations to the inventory stations where the needed goods are removed from the inventory pods (to be boxed and eventually shipped to customers) and then back to the same or different empty storage locations ( Wurman, D'Andrea, & Mountz, 2008 ). 1