①Amazon quietly acquired the Swiss robotics company Rivr, confirming the deal in an email sent to third-party delivery contractors;
②Rivr's flagship product is a four-wheeled robot capable of climbing stairs to deliver goods. Amazon plans to conduct field tests by integrating this robot with its delivery teams;
③Amazon is accelerating the automation process across its operations.
$Amazon (AMZN.US)$The quiet acquisition of the Swiss robotics company Rivr appears to signal Amazon’s intention to seek further automation upgrades in last-mile delivery services.
Although Amazon did not publicly announce the acquisition, it disclosed the transaction in a notice sent to third-party delivery contractors. This could imply significant changes for these contractors, as thousands of third-party operators have historically formed the backbone of Amazon's delivery network, handling shipments from warehouses to customers’ doorsteps.
Amazon stated that Rivr focuses on developing technologies to assist in last-mile delivery. When paired with human delivery personnel, this technology has the potential to enhance safety and improve the overall customer experience, particularly during the final stages of the delivery process.
The company also emphasized that it is still in the early stages of this initiative. As the technology progresses, Amazon will collaborate with delivery teams to test it in real-world scenarios, gather insights, and incorporate feedback into future expansion plans.
Accelerating Progress
Rivr’s flagship product is a four-wheeled robot capable of climbing stairs to deliver packages. According to PitchBook, both the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and the Bezos Expeditions Fund participated in Rivr’s early funding rounds, valuing the company at $100 million at one point.
Last year, Rivr launched a pilot program with parcel delivery company Veho in Texas, USA. At the time, Rivr expressed hopes of deploying 100 robots by 2026 through collaboration with Veho. It remains unclear whether the company has achieved this goal.
In addition to automation in delivery operations,$Amazon (AMZN.US)$efforts have continuously been made to automate warehouse operations. Amazon Robotics is the division specifically responsible for this task, established after Amazon acquired Kiva Systems, a warehouse robotics manufacturer, for $775 million in 2012.
Additionally, reports suggest that Bezos has been engaged in preliminary negotiations to raise $100 billion for the creation of a fund aimed at acquiring manufacturing companies in sectors such as chip production, defense, and aerospace, with the intention of leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate automation.
Editor/Melody