Why Is Amazon Hosting A Robot Contest?

Technology Review reported that Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN is hosting a robot contest in which participating robots will earn "points" by locating products on a shelf, retrieving them safely, and then packing them into shipping boxes. The owner of the robot that earns the most points will win a $25,000 prize. The publication noted that Amazon already makes use of automation systems in its warehouses to reduce the distance human workers need to travel to find a product. However, Amazon has yet to design a robot that can pick and pack products with the same efficiency and reliability as a human. After all, humans can easily identify objects, figure out how to manipulate them and grasp them with an appropriate amount of force – a task machines and robots have yet to fully grasp. Around 30 teams from academic departments around the world will take part in Amazon's challenge that will be held at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Seattle.