Gallery: Amazon Reveals the Robots at the Heart of Its Epic Cyber Monday Operation

  • Image may contain Building Warehouse Vehicle Car Transportation and Automobile
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    01

    dk-113014-301 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    Kiva warehouse robots at the ready at Amazon's fulfillment center in Tracy, California, the day before Cyber Monday.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building Warehouse Transportation Vehicle Automobile Car and Factory
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    02

    dk-113014-431 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    An Amazon technician works on a mobile laptop stand. Behind him, the cage where the warehouse robots roam.
  • Image may contain Building and Factory
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    03

    dk-113014-295 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    Plastic totes carrying Amazon inventory traverse the million-square-foot fulfillment center known as OAK4.
  • Image may contain Building Factory Human Person Warehouse and Manufacturing
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    04

    dk-113014-199 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    Amazon workers in Santa hats pack boxes the day before the Cyber Monday crush.
  • Image may contain Building Human Person and Factory
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    05

    dk-113014-250 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    The Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, California, can ship 700,000 items per day. That number could rise as high as 1.5 million when it begins operating at full capacity.
  • Image may contain Building Warehouse Human Person and Shelf
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    06

    dk-113014-389 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    An Amazon "picker" pulls an order from a four-sided shelf carried by a Kiva robot.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building Footwear Clothing Shoe Apparel Shelf and Factory
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    07

    dk-113014-48 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    The Kiva robots eliminate the need for walking by bringing the shelves to stations where items are stowed.
  • Image may contain Building and Warehouse
    Drew Kelly for WIRED
    08

    dk-113014-107 An Amazon fulfillment center in Tracy, CA.

    In the din of an Amazon fulfillment center, Kiva robots slide in near-silence along invisible grids in their fenced-off zones.
Read More
A Lot of Shops Won't Fix Electric Bikes. Here's Why
Bike shop mechanics have lost fingers and their shirts while repairing ebikes of dubious origins. Make sure yours is repairable and third-party certified.
Stephanie Pearson
The Audacity Is the Broligarchy Takedown You Were Waiting For
AMC’s new black comedy about a manchild tech titan spinning out of control is a skewering Silicon Valley’s billionaire class deserves.
Miles Klee
It’s a Tablet! It’s a Laptop! After Testing the Best 2-in-1s, Here’s What I Recommend
Whether you want a detachable tablet or a laptop screen that spins, these 2-in-1 devices manage to balance being both a tablet and a laptop.
Luke Larsen
There’s a Secret Ingredient to Making Luxury Ice at Home
Nice ice is big business, but you can get perfectly clear cubes at home without freezing your assets.
Jeremy White
The Screenmaxxers Who Spend Every Waking Hour on Their Phones
As debates over social media addiction rage, people with extreme screen times tell WIRED they have no plans to cut back.
Miles Klee
Mammotion’s Spino E1 Pool Cleaner Isn’t Bad for the Price—It's Just Not That Good
This compact pool robot keeps its price down, but its performance doesn’t match that of more capable cleaners.
Christopher Null
The Best Coffee Mug Warmers Are Smart. But They Don’t Need an App
The first rule of coffee is that it must stay hot. After weeks or even years of testing, these are the three coffee warmers that will best keep it that way.
Matthew Korfhage
Crimson Desert Is a Cat Dad Simulator
Step into the shoes of the strongest, goodest boy in a game that is beautiful, baffling, and impossible to put down.
This At-Home Hair Color Printer Raised My Blood Pressure
This hair dye printer promises hundreds of shades. It couldn't even manage two.
Louryn Strampe
I Tested the MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air. Here's Which One You Should Buy
After conducting long-term testing on both the MacBook Neo and MacBook Air, I have a good idea who should buy which laptop.
Luke Larsen
The Best Electric Cargo Bikes for Carrying This and That Everywhere
You don't need a car to tote around kids and cup holders. I rode cargo ebikes for miles to find the best one for your buck.
Adrienne So
Your Push Notifications Aren’t Safe From the FBI
Plus: Iran’s internet blackout hits the 1,000-hour mark, cryptocurrency scams result in a record amount of money stolen from Americans, and more.
Matt Burgess