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Robots gain ground in ecommerce warehouses
机器人在电商仓库占据一席之地
For a vision of the warehouses of the future, take a look inside Ocado’s facility near Andover, in the
south of England. Hundreds of cuboid units with flashing lights and antennas scuttle across a vast
grid, accelerating and slowing down with a mechanical grace that prevents collision.
想了解未来仓库的样子吗？看一下 Ocado 在英格兰南部安多弗(Andover)附近的仓储中心就一
目了然了。数百个灯光不断闪烁、并带有天线的长方体盒子在一大片网格之间来回穿梭，以机
械的精确平稳地加速和减速，防止发生碰撞。
Although the scene resembles a secret industrial installation in a science fiction film, these robots are
carrying out the mundane task of selecting groceries.
虽然这个场景与科幻电影中的秘密工业基地极为相似，但这些机器人正在执行的却是挑选食品
杂货的平常任务。
The online supermarket’s state-of-the-art facility is at the forefront of the technological changes
taking place in the warehousing sector, which acts as the processing core of the transport and
logistics industry that ensures the smooth flow of goods throughout the economy.
这家在线超市的先进仓储中心处在仓储行业正在发生的技术变革的最前沿。仓储行业是运输和
物流行业的处理中心，是货物在整个经济体系中顺畅流动的保证。
As ecommerce booms and consumers expect faster and cheaper delivery, large storage and
distribution centres that once relied largely on human labour are being transformed by automation
and robotics. The trend has sparked fears that such jobs could eventually vanish.
随着电子商务蓬勃发展，消费者期望享受到更快捷、更便宜的送货服务，自动化技术和机器人
正在彻底改变曾经主要依靠人力的大型仓储和配送中心。这一趋势引发人们担心，这些工作岗
位最终会消失。
“Automation has been around for a while, but the intelligence of the automation and its collaborative
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nature are the two fundamental things that are changing,” says Tim Lawrence of PAConsulting.
博安咨询(PAConsulting)的蒂姆•劳伦斯(Tim Lawrence)指出：“自动化已经出现了一段时间，但
正在发生的两个根本性变革是自动化的智能化及其协作性。”
Advances in artificial intelligence, sensors, vision systems and big data, coupled with falling costs,
are leading companies around the globe to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment to
make the movement of goods quicker, as well as more accurate and efficient.
人工智能、传感器、视觉系统和大数据领域的技术进步，以及成本下降，正促使全球领先公司
投资数亿美元，配备能更快、更准确、更高效地移动货物的设备。
New technologies range from fixed systems of interconnected conveyor belts and chutes that run for
miles and sort dozens of postal packages every second, through to articulated robotic arms capable of
packing goods such as confectionery or toiletries into boxes.
新技术包括每秒钟可以分拣数十个邮包、相互连接、达数公里长的传送带和滑槽等固定系统，
以及能够将诸如糖果或洗漱用品等物品包装起来的多关节机械臂。
At one end of the spectrum is the UPS hub in Cologne. Automated sorters process 190,000 packages
per hour on a conveyor system covering 40km, with one item taking an average of 15 minutes to
move through the hub from entry to final loading point.
另外一个场景是联合包裹(UPS)位于德国科隆的物流中心。自动分拣机可以在一条长达 40 公里
的传送带上每小时分拣19万件包裹。每个包裹从中心入口至最终装载点的时间平均为15分钟。
“Automation helps us increase the package sorting capacity, reduce human error and alleviate
repetitive stress on employees,” says UPS.
联合包裹指出：“自动化帮助我们提升了包裹分拣能力，减少了人为错误，缓减了员工从事重
复性工作的压力。”
Other companies have deployed mobile robots, controlled by central computer servers, for retrieving
orders and carrying heavy loads. One example is Amazon, which acquired the robotics start-up Kiva
for $775m in 2012.
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其他一些公司利用由中央计算机服务器控制的移动机器人来检索订单，搬运重物。亚马逊
(Amazon)于 2012 年以 7.75 亿美元收购机器人技术初创企业 Kiva 就是一例。
On the floors of the internet company’s huge “fulfilment” centres that dispatch goods to online
customers, squat orange machines on wheels whizz around carrying upright shelving units full of
goods. Following instructions sent over WiFi about their speed and next location, they weave
backwards, forwards and sideways to the caged perimeter where human workers pick items out
through gaps in the fence.
在亚马逊向在线客户配送货物的巨大“订单履行”中心，装有小轮的橙色机器带着满载货物的直
立式货架快速穿梭。按照通过 WiFi 发送的关于速度和下一个位置的指令，它们在一个像笼子
一样的空间内前进后退、左右滑动，工作人员从围栏的开口中将货物取走。
Today, Amazon has 100,000 of the machines globally, while in China similar machines are used in
the depots of companies such as Tmall, part of the online retail behemoth Alibaba.
目前，亚马逊在全球共拥有 10 万台这样的机器。在中国，类似的机器也在诸如在线零售巨擘
阿里巴巴(Alibaba)旗下的天猫商城(Tmall)等企业的仓库中使用。
Developments in software have been a key enabler in robotics for logistics. At Ocado’s warehouse, a
centralised computer system that uses a planning algorithm communicates with the robots across a
4G network.
软件技术的发展是物流机器人能够投入运用的关键。在 Ocado 的仓库中，使用计划算法的中央
计算机系统通过 4G 网络与机器人进行通信。
They are sent to a specific square and grab a crate containing a category of food, which they deliver
to human “personal shoppers” around the edge. Collaboration among the robot swarm allows the
completion of a 50-item order within minutes, compared with around two hours in Ocado’s older
automated warehouses.
机器人被送到一个特定的方格，抓住一个装有某类食物的箱子，然后把它们送至位于区域边缘
的真人“购物助理”那里。机器人之间的协作能够确保几分钟就可以处理一个包含 50 种货品的
订单。而在 Ocado 的上一代自动化仓库中，处理类似订单大约需要两小时。
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Adopters of robots in logistics say the move can alleviate menial or potentially harmful tasks, such as
lifting heavy loads. DHL Supply Chain is installing “collaborative robots”, or cobots: machines that
work safely alongside humans, rather than behind a cage.
在物流业务中采用了机器人的公司表示，使用机器人可以减少粗重或者可能对身体有害的工
作，如举重物等。DHL Supply Chain 正在安装“协作型机器人”：机器人和人一起安全地工作，
而不是在笼子后面工作。
Made by Rethink Robotics and equipped with an articulated arm and suction grabbers, “Sawyer” can
perform repetitive tasks requiring movements that could injure a human worker, such as twisting.
由 Rethink Robotics 公司制造并配备多关节手臂和吸附抓手的“Sawyer”机器人，可以执行所要
求的动作可能会导致员工受伤（如扭伤）的重复性任务。
At DHL’s Liverpool warehouse, Sawyers help humans pack deodorant spray cans or chocolate
biscuits into boxes and have improved productivity by 15 to 20 per cent. The machines are
responsive to touch and can be shown tasks without the need for programming.
在 DHL 位于英国利物浦的仓库，Sawyer 机器人协助员工将除臭剂喷雾罐或巧克力饼干装入盒
子，使生产率提高了 15%到 20%。机器能够响应触碰，无需编程就可以向其下达任务。
Despite fears that increased use of robotics will lead to job losses, many logistics and ecommerce
companies insist they are in fact creating jobs as they open new warehouses to meet rising demand.
However, some experts are sceptical about such claims.
尽管人们担心，越来越多的机器人投入使用会导致人员失业，但许多物流和电商公司坚称，由
于它们会新增仓库来满足不断增加的需求，它们实际上还在创造就业机会。但是，一些专家对
这种说法持怀疑态度。
“There will definitely be less employment in the warehouse logistics sector through automation.
Everyone says there will just be different types of jobs — I’m not 100 per cent that will be the case,”
says Mr Lawrence. “There clearly will be growth in people who can programme robots and develop
artificial intelligence solutions, but [for] people in logistics doing manual tasks the impact will be
quite significant.”
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“随着自动化程度的提高，仓储物流行业的就业岗位肯定会减少。大家都说会有其他类型的工
作岗位出现——对此，我不完全相信，” 劳伦斯说， “对于能够为机器人编写程序、并进行人
工智能解决方案开发的人员来说，就业岗位显然会增加，但对于从事体力劳动的物流从业人员
来说，受到的影响将会非常大。”