Fulfilling the fast mile

About the event

For the second instalment of our season on Transport and Labour, the Centre for Transport and Society (CTS) Seminar Series is delighted to welcome Dr Brendan Doody, Research Associate in Urban Robotics, at the University of Sheffield. 

By way of an introduction to his talk, Brendan writes: "Robotics is transforming operations across the e-commerce and logistics sectors. Early adopters like Amazon, DHL, and Ocado began introducing autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and robotic arms into their warehouses in the early to mid-2010s. These robotic applications have since become central to many processes and practices, enabling Amazon, in particular, to set new standards for seamless shopping, product variety, and rapid fulfilment. The robotisation of logistics has since expanded beyond warehouses. Experiments with autonomous delivery robots (ADRs) and drones have led to firms such as Wing, Zipline and Starship Technologies offering 'fast mile' delivery services, promising to reach customers in 30 minutes or less."

"This presentation explores robotics as a key force in (sub)urban logistics and the transformation of labour practices within the sector. Robotically enabled warehouse and delivery systems aim to increase worker productivity by replacing specific types of human labour with automated processes. Social practices of picking, sorting, packing and transporting goods are being made ‘robot friendly’ by enveloping environments around their (limited) capacities. Making the world suitable for robots is a socio-technical process that extends beyond mere technological implementation. It requires building technical infrastructures such as network connectivity, human-machine interfaces (HMI), datasets and digital twins. Socially, robots (re)configure our physical and conceptual environments and require us to adapt to them as this is the best, easiest, or only way to make them work. Most warehouse workers, for example, are either separated from or specifically trained to interact with robots. ADRs and drones will require similar adjustments to be made beyond the warehouse walls."