Amazon halts Blue Jay warehouse robot project after six months

Amazon has halted its Blue Jay warehouse robotics project less than six months after introducing the technology, despite operating hundreds of thousands of robots across its fulfillment network.

Blue Jay, a multi-armed robot built to sort and move packages, was unveiled in October for use in the company’s same-day delivery facilities. 

The system was being tested at a site in South Carolina. At launch, Amazon said the robot had been developed in roughly a year — significantly faster than earlier robotics programs — thanks to advances in artificial intelligence.

However, the company has now confirmed that Blue Jay will not move forward in its current form. 

Spokesperson Terrence Clark said the system was introduced as a prototype, though that detail was not emphasised in the initial announcement.

Amazon said it plans to repurpose Blue Jay’s core technology for other robotics manipulation programs. 

Employees who worked on the project are being reassigned to different initiatives within the company’s robotics division.

The move comes as Amazon continues expanding automation across its warehouses. 

In 2012, the company acquired Kiva Systems, laying the groundwork for its modern fulfillment robotics strategy. The retailer surpassed one million robots in its facilities last year.

Amazon has also introduced other advanced systems, including Vulcan, a dual-armed robot designed to handle and rearrange goods inside storage compartments using touch-sensitive technology and real-world training data.