Amazon’s Vulcan is a specialized warehouse robot that uses cameras, suction and force feedback to pick products from—and stow products in—crowded storage bins. Amazon unveiled it in Dortmund, Germany, on May 7, 2025, calling it its “first robot with a sense of touch.” That means it can detect contact and pressure as it handles objects, not that it has human-like perception. Vulcan is an industrial system, not a humanoid or a robot consumers can buy.
What is Amazon’s Vulcan robot?
Vulcan is a fulfillment-center system built for two inventory tasks: picking items out of storage and stowing incoming items in storage. Amazon introduced it at its Delivering the Future event in Dortmund. It is designed to work with the company’s storage pods, including high and low locations where employees may otherwise have to stretch, bend, crouch or use ladders. Amazon’s announcement describes its design and intended uses.
Vulcan is not a walking humanoid, a delivery vehicle or a general-purpose machine that can perform every warehouse task. It is a facility-integrated robot with specialized tools for manipulating inventory. Amazon has not published a purchase price, leasing plan or public ordering process for it.
What does “a sense of touch” mean?
In Vulcan’s case, “touch” means sensor-based detection of contact and force. Cameras and stereo vision help the system see products and storage spaces; force feedback helps it respond to what happens when its tools meet an object. Together, those inputs can help it distinguish an object that moves freely from one caught against neighboring stock, or a placement that meets resistance from one with room to spare.
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This matters because a visually plausible grasp can still go wrong in a densely packed bin. A robot may disturb nearby inventory, press too hard on a fragile package or discover that the apparent opening is not usable. Force information gives Vulcan another signal to use as it acts. Amazon describes this approach as part of “physical AI”: systems that perceive and act in the physical environment. That term does not establish human-like reasoning or sensation.
How does Vulcan pick and stow products?
Picking an item out
For picking, Amazon describes a camera and stereo-vision system that inspects the compartment and algorithms that look for a suitable grasping point. A suction cup then attempts to take the selected product. Visual checks help confirm that the intended item was removed and that nearby inventory was not pulled out with it. Force and contact feedback provide additional information when the item is crowded or does not move as expected.
That combination addresses a difficult warehouse problem: products vary widely in shape, packaging and surface. A suction cup may work well on one package and fail to seal on another. In a packed compartment, even a successful grip can tug a neighboring item or shift stock.
Stowing an item into a bin
Stowing is not simply dropping a product into an empty space. The system has to make room among items already in the bin and guide the new product into a usable position. Amazon’s described stowing tool uses a ruler-like element to move existing inventory aside, paddle-like gripping arms and small integrated conveyor belts to guide the item into the compartment. Force sensors help control how firmly it pushes or holds the product.
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Picking and stowing are related but distinct operations, with different tools and failure points. A robot can be effective at one without being equally effective at the other.
What can Vulcan handle—and what does the 75% figure mean?
Amazon says Vulcan can pick and stow approximately 75% of the different types of items in its fulfillment centers. The denominator is item types: the claim is not that Vulcan handles 75% of all orders, 75% of inventory volume or 75% of warehouse jobs. Amazon separately says its broader robotics fleet assists with about 75% of customer orders; that is a different statistic, not a Vulcan capability figure. Amazon’s Vulcan announcement is the source for its item-type claim and the broader fleet context.
Suitability depends on the product and the conditions in the bin. Irregular or flexible packaging, fragile goods, surfaces that do not form a reliable suction seal, awkward dimensions and tightly obstructed items can make handling harder. Even a supported item may need human help if it is poorly positioned or behaves unpredictably. Amazon says the system is designed to request assistance when it cannot safely or reliably handle an item.
- Shape and packaging: A regular, firm package is generally easier to grasp and guide than a floppy bag or unusual shape.
- Grip and force: A poor suction seal, a shifting item or a fragile package can prevent a reliable move.
- Available space: The robot must find a safe placement among existing products, not just an opening that looks empty.
- Reliability in operation: Tool wear, sensor condition and the frequency of human interventions affect whether technical capability translates into useful throughput.
Where is Vulcan operating?
At launch, reporting identified Amazon facilities in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany, as initial locations where Vulcan was operating or being tested. GeekWire’s launch coverage reported those sites. They should not be read as evidence that the system was installed across Amazon’s global network.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchIn an update dated June 4, 2026, Amazon said Vulcan had expanded to more complex picking tasks at its Hamburg facility and was being added to more European sites. The update describes expansion, not a confirmed installation at every site or across the entire network. Amazon’s European robotics update provides that later status.
How proven is the system?
IEEE Spectrum reported that Amazon’s stowing work had been developed through more than 500,000 operational stows and that the average stowing robot had become slightly faster than the average human stower in the reported comparison. That is a specific report about stowing performance; it does not establish that Vulcan is faster than people at every task or in every facility. IEEE Spectrum’s report covers the operational stows and speed comparison.
Amazon’s approximately 75% item-type figure is a company-stated capability, not an independently audited benchmark. A separate report described more than 500,000 orders processed; orders and operational stows are different measures and should not be combined. Digital Commerce 360’s coverage reported the orders figure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What work is Vulcan meant to change?
Amazon says Vulcan is intended to take on repetitive pick-and-stow movements, including work at awkward heights and in crowded bins, to reduce physically demanding activity and support safer, more ergonomic jobs. The company presents the robot as working alongside employees, with people handling exceptions it cannot manage. It also says its robotics operations have created roles such as robotics floor monitors and reliability-maintenance engineers; those are Amazon’s workforce claims, not a guarantee about job outcomes at any particular site.
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How does Vulcan fit into Amazon’s wider automation?
Vulcan addresses a particular manipulation problem: getting products into and out of crowded storage. It does not automate an entire fulfillment center by itself. Amazon’s warehouses use a broader robotics fleet, and Amazon has said that fleet assists with about 75% of customer orders. That company-wide figure is separate from Vulcan’s claim about the types of items it can handle. The system’s significance is therefore narrower than “a robot runs the warehouse,” but potentially important for inventory tasks where vision alone is not enough.
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