Amazon has unveiled its next-gen Proteus autonomous mobile robot (AMR) which makes up part of a EUR10 billion (USD11.5 billion) investment to expand and modernise the US retail behemoth’s European fulfilment network.

Amazon says the new Proteus – which can carry loads of almost 400kg - and other robotic expansions across Europe, have been designed to take on physically strenuous tasks, reducing the burden placed on its human workforce.

Proteus Gen2 is expected to be deployed in Europe in H1 2027, Amazon states.

The investment in fulfilment centres also includes plans to increase Amazon’s workforce by more than 25,000 people “over the coming years”.

Amazon, which unveiled the new Proteus at the Delivering the Future event in London, says it builds on the “original [Proteus, released in October 2022] autonomous robot and expands what’s possible in scope, capability, and how it can assist employees with their daily tasks”.

It adds employees will be able to direct Proteus using “plain, conversational language with no technical commands and no programming interface”.

“You tell it what needs to be done,” explains Scott Dresser, vice president of Amazon Robotics. “It figures out the priority, the route, the timing. It becomes your assistant for material movement."

The original Proteus is currently deployed at 25 fulfilment centres in the US and transports carts in the dock areas of fulfilment centres, navigating safely around people.

“Like its predecessor, this Proteus is designed to take on physically demanding tasks—moving heavy carts and covering long distances—so employees can focus on higher-skilled work like managing inventory flow and ensuring quality control,” Amazon states.

“The next generation of Proteus is designed to go much further. Rather than operating only in dock areas, the new system can work anywhere items need to be moved. 

“This includes transporting containers as they arrive at a site, transferring them between workstations, and assisting employees across Amazon’s fulfilment centres and delivery sites.”

Amazon says Proteus Gen2 is one piece of a broader robotics roadmap. 

Alongside advancements in mobile robots, Amazon is also developing new collaborative technology and robotic manipulation (the ability to handle individual objects with precision), including STARK, a new collaborative robotic tote-handling system.

“This transformation is designed to deliver a step-change in how we support our employees and serve our customers,” says Armin Cossmann, vice president of operations for Europe. “Customer expectations aren’t slowing down and neither are we.”