Kiva Systems looks like it is for Internal Amazon use

I have run into a few people who were pumped up to use Kiva Systems in areas other than warehousing.  But, after an inquiry for information went unanswered and no ability to contact a sales person I found it is highly probably that Kiva Systems is for internal Amazon use for new growth and the installed base is in maintenance mode.  The Boston Globe reported on the current state of things at Kiva System back in Dec 2013.

But the impression is that Kiva’s interest in selling to non-Amazon customers has waned. The company hasn’t announced a new customer since it became part of Amazon, and much of its sales staff has departed. The company continues to hire — but in departments like engineering and manufacturing, not sales or marketing. It could be that satisfying Amazon’s appetite for Kiva bots is consuming most of the company’s resources.

Many of amazon.com competitors have walked into the trap of being single sourced, a no-no for anyone in supply chain management.

But as Kiva ramps up production of its robotic systems for its new parent — the number on order from Amazon may be as high as 18,000, according to one trade publication, and could be higher according to my sources — the big question is what happens to Kiva’s early customers. Major retailers such asStaples, Walgreens, Gap, Office Depot, and Crate & Barrel installed Kiva’s technology in their warehouses. And now they all must grapple not only with possible shortages of Kiva bots, but also whether they want to do business with a direct competitor.

So, if you were thinking of using Kiva Systems you may be best looking for other options, like the above installed base.

I did talk to one Kiva customer, only on the condition that I not use his name or company. He said Amazon would continue to support the systems he’d installed for several years, but added, “I’m planning now for life without Kiva.”

We'll see if people innovate the use of Robotics in Data Centers

3 years ago I started researching the use of robotics in data centers when someone asked what will change the way data centers are built and operate.  I put this post up back in June 2011 on a robotics expert I saw who was using robotics in interesting scenarios.

President Obama’s media event was fluffy with little technical content.  Especially compared to the hour I spent on the same day listening to Hugh Durrant-Whyte, CEO of NICTA, ex research director at Australia’s robotics efforts.

Hugh Durrant-Whyte 

Research Director 
Professor of Mechatronic Engineering, Appointed 1995

At the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, USYD

My research focuses on two main areas; navigation of autonomous vehicles and senor data fusion. 
In navigation I pioneered the application of Kalman filter and target-tracking methods to the problem of robot localisation. This has had substantial impact in robotics; Many operational mobile robots now use these methods for localisation. I also introduced the revolutionary Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) method. Interest in SLAM is now exploding. My research work is now focused on general probabilistic SLAM problems appropriate to very unstructured, outdoor and underwater, environments.

DatacenterKnowledge has a guest post on the subject of robotics in the data center.  This is the first of three part series.

This week Data Center Knowledge presents a three-part series on data center automation and the potential role of robotics.

I’ll see if the end comes to the same design conclusions I came at how data centers could be changed.

Google investing in robotics for mfg and logistics, and maybe data centers?

GigaOm has a post on Google’s Android Chief Rubin working on robotics.

Google gets into the robot game, with former Android chief Rubin leading the effort

by David Meyer

2 HOURS AGO

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SUMMARY:

The company has been quietly buying firms to help it build robots that could be used in manufacturing, logistics and quite possibly other sectors, too.

What seems quite possible is Rubin’s efforts with Android have woken him up the opportunity to be the OS for robotics.

I have written on my own and researched the potential for robotics in the data center. With Google’s ability to design its own data centers, racks, servers, and network gear it is quite possible there are robotics in a future scenario.

the post references the NYTimes with manufacturing and logistics.

In an interview with theNew York Times, Andy Rubin suggested Google’s latest “moonshot” involves robots for the manufacturing and logistics markets.

and with amazon’s drone now it is a hot topic to discuss automated delivery.

Robotics in the data center

DatacenterKnowledge has a guest post by an MTM Technologies consultant on robotics in the data center.

Robotics in the Data Center

As the reliance on the data center continues to grow, full software and hardware robotics automation is no longer a question of if, but a matter of when, technologists predict. Robotics organizations, like Chicago-based DevLinks LTD are already having conversations and creating initial designs for data center robotics automation.

About 4 years ago I started playing around with the idea of robotics in the data center and 2 years ago I spent a good 6 months diving into subject.  Some of the design concepts I figured out would not be intuitive for someone who doesn't understand the way data centers are built and the economics.   

One example of an issue is mentioned in the DCK article on the ability to go up in height.

Grow vertically instead of just horizontally. Robotics allows the data center to be extremely efficient with space. After all, robotics will allow us to reach higher and go much further than we’ve been ever able to go. The ability to scale upwards allows data centers to create new designs utilizing floor space much more efficiently.

Anyone who has built data centers and operated them knows a good rule is to have 100-150 watts/sq ft of IT white space.  Any denser increases costs and increases the probability of stranding power.  Going higher is going to cause more heat problems as well as the top of rack equipment could be 2-3 degrees warmer.

It is nice to see the robotics in data center ideas is getting more attention.  When I was talking about the idea two years ago people thought I was really out there. :-)  I was going to write more on the topic, but only threw up two posts.  http://www.greenm3.com/gdcblog/category/robotics.  Well, this is the third.

3D printing a building, why not a data center?

TED has a video on a 3D building method.

The professor presenting this is an Industrial Engineer.  Which could be the reason why I have talked about the concept of robotics to build data centers as well.  Have you?

Behrokh Khoshnevis is a professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering and is the Director of Manufacturing Engineering Graduate Program at the University of Southern California (USC). He is active in CAD/CAM, robotics and mechatronics related related research projects that include the development of novel Solid Free Form, or Rapid Prototyping, processes (Contour Crafting and SIS), automated construction of civil structures, development of CAD/CAM systems for biomedical applications (e.g., restorative dentistry, rehabilitation engineering, haptics devices for medical applications), autonomous mobile and modular robots for assembly applications in space, and invention of technologies in the field of oil and gas. His research in simulation has aimed at creating intelligent simulation tools that can automatically perform many simulation functions that are conventionally performed by human analysts. His textbook, "Discrete Systems Simulation", and his simulation software EZSIM benefit from some aspects of his research in simulation. He routinely conducts lectures and seminars on invention and technology development.

He is a Fellow member of the Society for Computer Simulation and a Fellow member of the Institute of Industrial Engineering. He is a senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. His website: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~khoshnev/