Amazon Halts Blue Jay Robotics Project After 6 Months

According to a statement provided to TechCrunch by Amazon spokesperson Terrance Clark, the Blue Jay system was always considered a prototype, a designation not explicitly stated in the company's initial announcement of the technology. The project's underlying core technology will not be abandoned, however. Clark stated that Amazon plans to accelerate its use for other robotics "manipulation programs," with nearly all of the developed technologies being carried over to different projects.

The Blue Jay robot was designed as a multi-armed system intended for use in Amazon's same-day delivery warehouses, where speed in sorting and moving packages is critical. Its development cycle was notably rapid for Amazon, taking approximately one year, a speed the company attributed to recent advancements in artificial intelligence. Testing for the prototype was conducted at an Amazon facility in South Carolina.

Employees who were working on the Blue Jay project are being reassigned to other roles within Amazon's extensive robotics division. The company's broader robotics strategy continues to expand, as evidenced by its simultaneous development of other systems. Last year, Amazon also unveiled the Vulcan robot, a two-armed machine designed for use in storage compartments. According to TechCrunch, the Vulcan uses one arm to rearrange items and a second arm equipped with a camera and suction cups to grasp goods, with a reported ability to "feel" objects.

Amazon's decision to halt the Blue Jay prototype underscores the experimental nature of its robotics development, even as it deploys hundreds of thousands of other robots across its global network of fulfillment centers. The company's stated focus remains on developing technology that improves efficiency and safety for its employees, though specific performance metrics or reasons for halting the Blue Jay prototype were not disclosed.