The first large group of robot mail sorters

Athens - 55 small, four-wheeled autonomous mobile robots have been introduced to sort through mail in Greece's postal service.

They scan the postal code, weigh the package and, directed by sensors, empty it into the corresponding mail sacks.

The robots can handle as many as 168,000 parcels weighing up to 15kg a day and only need to be recharged every four hours for 5 minutes.

They are the new addition to Greece's postal service: a fleet of yellow robots sorting through the mail.

Fifty-five small, four-wheeled autonomous mobile robots or AMRs powered by artificial intelligence, glide around Hellenic Post's sorting centre in Athens, speeding up an often arduous process.

They scan the postal code, weigh the package and, directed by sensors, empty it into the corresponding mail sacks set up around a platform.

The robots are part of the state-owned company's digital restructuring programme, which aims to tackle growing numbers of parcels from online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.

Until recently, sorting has been carried out by manual labour with a high demand in time, often with errors occurring, causing delivery delays for our customers and increased costs for the company.

Up to 80 percent of parcel sorting has been handed over to the robots and the process was up to three times faster, ensuring next-day delivery.

The robots can handle as many as 168,000 parcels weighing up to 15 kg a day and only need to be recharged every four hours for five minutes.

The purpose is not to replace human workers with robots, but rather to augment human workforces and make them more efficient.

Robots are helping humans in a growing number of places globally, from archaeological sites to disaster zones to sewers. The robots can gather data, squeeze into small spaces, even call an elevator.

Automation is expected to create 97 million new roles in the future world of work, according to the World Economic Forum.

In numerous settings around the world, robots and related technology, like artificial intelligence, are helping humans with a range of work. This includes jobs that are high-risk and complex and work in places where humans can’t go.

In Zurich, Switzerland, a company called Swiss-Mile has developed a robot on four wheels that can speed up the delivery of goods in cities.

In Scotland, a big area of focus is the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in social care settings. An assisted living lab that looks like a real home has been created at the National Robotarium, a new centre for robotics and AI.