If You’re A Warehouse Worker. This Boston Dynamics Video Might Be An Ominous Sign

Warehouse automation continues to accelerate as millions of jobs are at risk of being displaced. The latest automation nightmare for warehouse laborers comes from a new video uploaded on YouTube by Boston Dynamics. 

In a press release, the US robotics firm announced that Deutsche Post DHL Group has successfully deployed the Stretch robot for loading and unloading boxes from tractor trailers at warehouse docks. 

“Unloading boxes is a strenuous, physically demanding work process which can impact an associate’s ability to work efficiently. By automating this process, DHL Supply Chain explained, the operation not only addresses safety concerns but also the ongoing labor supply challenge by redirecting skilled labor to focus on value-add, strategic tasks in other areas of the warehouse,” DHL wrote in a press release. 

Translation: DHL is automating its supply chain and won’t need as many warehouse workers in the future. 

“The custom-designed, lightweight arm of the robot has seven degrees-of-freedom, which gives it the length and flexibility to reach cases throughout the trailer or container,” DHL continued in the press release. 

By the end of this decade, DHL and other major companies, such as Amazon, are set to fully automate their warehouses. After all, robots don’t strike over wages and working conditions. 

So for all those warehouse workers — the video above is an ominous sign your job will be in jeopardy. 

Perhaps “learn to code,” but that might be challenging to land a job at a major tech firm considering the mass layoffs.