Iván Hernández Dalas: Amazon Robotics shuts down Blue Jay sortation project

Amazon Robotics developed the Blue Jay sortation system for its warehouses.

Blue Jay was designed to pick, stow, and consolidate about 75% of all items stored at Amazon’s sites. | Source: Amazon

Amazon.com Inc. this week said it is shutting down its Blue Jay robotics project after only six months.

The Blue Jay project was unveiled in October 2025. At the time, Amazon described it as a sortation system capable of picking, stowing, and consolidating tasks simultaneously.

The Seattle-based company said the technology would effectively collapse three assembly lines into one, creating greater efficiency in less space while supporting front-line employees. Amazon has reassigned many employees working on Blue Jay to other fulfillment initiatives, according to Business Insider.

Amazon invests in multiple moonshots besides Blue Jay

Amazon has invested in multiple “moonshot” projects over the years, and Blue Jay was one example of such a project. The company is getting faster at its innovation process, as Blue Jay took a year to move into production.

In comparison, Amazon Robotics took longer to develop systems like the Robin robot arm and Vulcan touch-sensing replenishment robot. The e-commerce company has deployed a total of more than 1 million robots.

“We’re always experimenting with new ways to improve the customer experience and make work safer, more efficient, and more engaging for our employees,” stated Amazon spokesperson Terrence Clark. “In this case, we’re actually accelerating the use of the underlying technology developed for Blue Jay, and nearly all of the technologies are being carried over and will continue to support employees across our network.”

The company attributed the use of digital twins as one tool to accelerate system development.

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Amazon Grocery puts its eggs into Orbital basket

Amazon said it is also rethinking its local vending machine (LVM) strategy in lieu of a new initiative called “Orbital,” according to some sources. The company reportedly is “all in” on serving customers in the grocery market.

Supply chain advisor Brittain Ladd last month posted on LinkedIn: “Several individuals at Amazon who’ve been terminated, contacted me to tell me about Orbital, Amazon’s new robotic fulfillment platform. Orbital is a replacement for the LVM or Local Vending Machine, that was Amazon’s version of a micro-fulfillment center. LVM has been canceled. This hasn’t been previously reported.”

The post Amazon Robotics shuts down Blue Jay sortation project appeared first on The Robot Report.



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