- Blue Jay lasted less than six months despite rapid development speed
- The status of the prototype was not clearly communicated during Blue Jay’s initial press announcements
- Blue Jay employees reassigned to programs leveraging leading robotics innovations
Amazon has been steadily developing warehouse robotics since acquiring Kiva Systems in 2012, creating the basis for automated distribution centers.
As of July 2025, the company has deployed more than a million robots in its warehouses, demonstrating a strong commitment to robotics while also highlighting the operational complexity involved.
Despite this scale, not all internal robotics initiatives succeed, and the company’s latest experiment, Blue Jay, illustrates the challenges of rapid innovation.
The Rise and Fall of the Blue Jay
Unveiled in October 2025, Blue Jay was designed as a multi-arm robot capable of sorting and moving packages within same-day delivery facilities.
Testing began at a facility in South Carolina, with Amazon noting that the development cycle was unusually fast — about a year — compared to other warehouse robots, a speed attributed to advances in AI.
Despite its rapid development, the project lasted less than six months before being shut down, demonstrating that speed alone does not guarantee operational success.
Amazon confirmed that Blue Jay had been shown as a prototype, something it had not made clear in previous press releases.
Employees who worked on the project are being reassigned to other robotics programs using Blue Jay’s core technology.
Terrence Clark, an Amazon spokesperson, said the company intends to accelerate the use of Blue Jay’s underlying innovations in future warehouse robotics, maintaining continuity while focusing on more sustainable applications.
While Blue Jay is no longer active, Amazon continues to develop other warehouse robots, including Vulcan.
Vulcan features two robotic arms: one dedicated to rearranging and moving objects within storage compartments, while the other uses a camera and suction cups to pick and place individual objects with precision.
Its sensors allow it to detect the weight, shape and orientation of packages, allowing it to handle objects without causing damage.
The robot’s software constantly adapts to variations in package size and density, allowing it to optimize order picking sequences and reduce order fulfillment times.
Vulcan operates within Amazon’s same-day delivery and high-density fulfillment centers, where space constraints require precise navigation and coordination with existing conveyor systems.
The robot’s dual-arm configuration allows it to handle multiple items at the same time, increasing throughput in storage compartments without requiring human intervention for repetitive lifting tasks.
Its visual and tactile sensors provide continuous data to onboard processing units, enabling real-time adjustments to grip force and movement trajectories.
Integration with warehouse management software allows Vulcan to receive task priorities.
It dynamically plans routes and communicates with other robotic units to avoid collisions or bottlenecks, supporting a more efficient automated workflow.
Via TechCrunch
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