Big surprise for Peter: Warehouse robots in action

It doesn’t seem quite natural to me: Transport robots shifting goods or whole bins around a giant logistics centre just to the place where they are needed. What sounds like science fiction to me is everyday reality at Amazon in the USA, Poland and, since the beginning of the year, in the UK too. At least that is what I’ve heard from seagulls passing through.
  
In these giant logistics centres robotic systems assist workers with picking goods. The operators stand at ergonomic workstations and let robots bring the toys, books and electrical appliances needing to be packed. This saves time and even allows for a 50 percent greater use of the storage space. The transport robots move at 5.5 kmh and can lift up to 340 kilos. One day the online trader will install robotic arms capable of independently unpacking and packing stock. But, we are definitely not so far down the line that they can completely replace real people. With the help of 3D cameras they have to learn to see spatially and to understand what a cuddly toy is made of, or a book consists of, to be able to pick it up properly.  

But just to make one thing clear, there’s no way I’m going to put up with a robot seagull!