Humanoid & robot atlas
Hercules
Photo: Amazon (official image), from aboutamazon.com. Image policy
CommercialUnited StatesFully autonomous

Amazon (Amazon Robotics) · working robot

Hercules

Amazon's main pod-lifting drive unit, which carries inventory shelves to workers. Amazon rates it at up to 1,250 lb (some Amazon text says 1,000 lb pods).

Price
—Not published
Height
—Not published
Weight
—Not published
Payload
567 kgCarries more than 68%
Speed
—Not published
Battery
—Not published
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Why it matters

Amazon describes it as the fourth generation of the original Kiva pod-carrying drive.

Real-world use

The workhorse of Amazon's drive fleet; Amazon reported about 200,000 drive units of all types in 2019.

Timeline

First shown
2017
Released
2017
Release year reported in trade coverage of Amazon's drive family

Maker

Amazon (Amazon Robotics)Company · founded 2003 (as Kiva Systems) · Seattle, Washington, United States

Wholly owned by Amazon

How it stacks up

Against other working & field robots that publish the figure. Pick a measure.

  1. Freight1500Fetch Robotics (Zebra Technologies) · 20171500 kg
  2. HerculesAmazon Robotics · 2017567 kg
  3. Freight500Fetch Robotics (Zebra Technologies) · 2017500 kg
  4. Guardian GTSarcos Technology and Robotics (now Palladyne AI) · 2017454 kg
  5. WarthogClearpath Robotics (now part of Rockwell Automation) with ARGO XTR · 2016272 kg
  6. Locus OriginLocus Robotics · 201636 kg
  7. Starship delivery robotStarship Technologies · 20169.1 kg
  8. temitemi (Robotemi) · 20183 kg

Hercules carries more than 68% of the 84 other working & field robots that publish a payload. Bars show the 7 closest in date.

Payload 567 kg 1.5 kg2268 kg #28 of 85 · carries more than 68%

Not published by the maker: height, weight, speed, joints, battery, price.

Public attention

How much public attention Hercules gets, from open data.

  • No Wikipedia article of its own yet
  • 1 news story from reputable press listed on this page

Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured

What’s inside

The parts the company has talked about publicly.

Movement
Wheeled base
How it runs
Fully autonomous. Directed by central software, it lifts and delivers inventory pods to workers by itself.
Actuators & motors
Low wheeled drive that slides under and lifts inventory pods (rated up to 1,250 lb)
Sensors & vision
Downward camera reads floor fiducial markers; forward 3D camera detects people, pods and robots
Battery & power
Rechargeable; fleet replans when drives pause to charge
AI & software
Grid-based navigation in structured fields; workers wear Wi-Fi Tech Vests so robots can locate them

Lineage

Every Amazon Robotics machine in order.

  1. HerculesHercules2017Commercial
  2. Amazon ScoutAmazon Scout2019Discontinued
  3. PegasusPegasus2019Commercial
  4. Xanthus (X-bot)Xanthus (X-bot)2019Commercial
  5. AstroAstro2021Commercial
  6. ProteusProteus2022Commercial
  7. TitanTitan2023Commercial

Amazon (Amazon Robotics) also makes 1 vehicle. See every Amazon (Amazon Robotics) robot

Watch Hercules

Video: Amazon News on YouTube. Plays from youtube-nocookie.com when you press play.

Made, sold and where

Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.

Price
Not published
How to get one
No official buying page found
Built
Thousands of mobile robots across Amazon fulfilment centres
Sold or delivered
Internal use only
Customers and pilots
Amazon

News

The latest 1, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.

  1. Amazon explains its drive family

    Amazon Science described how Hercules and its sibling drives navigate and share floors with workers.

    Amazon Science

Sources

Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.

Amazon Science Amazon Robotics autonomous drive units: Hercules, Pegasus, Xanthus Automated Warehouse Amazon's new Titan mobile robot designed to handle heavy payloads AllAboutLean The Amazon Robotics family Amazon Meet the robots inside fulfillment centers

Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use