Amazon Unveils Proteus Robot With Natural Language Capabilities and Plans €10 Billion Investment

By: Harsh Vardhan

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Updated on: 05-Jun-2026 02:00 PM

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Amazon has introduced an updated version of its warehouse robot, Proteus, which can now understand and respond to plain English instructions. The announcement took place at Amazon's Delivering the Future event in London. Amazon also revealed plans to invest over €10 billion to expand and modernise its European operations in the coming years.

Key Highlights

• Amazon unveils updated Proteus robot that understands plain English instructions.
• Company announces over €10 billion investment to expand and modernise European operations.
• Proteus can now operate throughout fulfilment centres and delivery sites, not just dock areas.
• Amazon expects to create around 25,000 jobs in Europe as part of the initiative.
• Additional robots Vulcan and STARK will expand to more European sites by 2027.

The company expects to create about 25,000 jobs across Europe as part of this initiative. Amazon will also expand its ultra-fast delivery services internationally and invest $1 billion in employee upskilling through its Career Choice programme by 2030.

Proteus Robot Gains New Capabilities

The next-generation Proteus robot differs from traditional industrial robots, which require specialised commands or programming. Proteus can now interpret conversational language, allowing warehouse employees to assign tasks as they would to a colleague. Workers no longer need to manually program routes or workflows. Instead, they can tell Proteus what needs to be done, and the robot determines the priority, route, and timing independently.

This update is part of Amazon's broader effort to make AI-powered systems more accessible in its warehouses. Proteus was first introduced in 2022 as Amazon's first fully autonomous mobile robot capable of operating safely around employees. The latest version expands its capabilities with natural language interactions and a wider operational range across fulfilment centres and delivery sites.

Proteus is no longer limited to dock areas. It can now operate wherever items need to be moved within a facility. Its tasks include transporting containers as they arrive, moving them between workstations, and assisting with material-handling throughout fulfilment centres. Amazon says the robot is particularly suited for physically demanding work, such as moving heavy carts over long distances, which helps reduce repetitive strain on workers.

Deployment and Additional Robotics Projects

According to Amazon, Proteus is currently being piloted in its robotics labs. The company plans to deploy the robot across European operations in the first half of 2027. This rollout is part of Amazon's €10 billion investment programme to modernise fulfilment operations and increase efficiency across the region. The investment will also support the creation of around 25,000 new jobs in the European fulfilment network over the coming years.

Amazon also announced the expansion of other robotics projects. These include Vulcan, the company's first robot with a sense of touch, and STARK, a collaborative tote-handling robot designed to work alongside employees. STARK was first piloted in Barcelona and is expected to expand to 15 sites across Europe by 2027. Vulcan uses sensors to see and feel objects at the same time, helping it navigate densely packed storage environments and perform complex picking tasks.

Amazon continues to advance its robotics and AI technology to improve warehouse operations and employee experience. The company’s investments and new technologies aim to increase efficiency and support its growing European network.