Amazon says that it has developed a new warehouse robot, Vulcan, that can “feel” some of the items it touches. The two-armed Vulcan, which can maneuver goods inside the storage compartments Amazon has in its warehouses, uses force sensors to help it know when it makes contact with an object. One arm rearranges items in a compartment, while the second arm — which is equipped with a camera and suction cup — grabs items. Amazon says that Vulcan was trained on physical data, including force and touch feedback to pick around 75% of Amazon’s stock, and that it’s capable of self-improving over time. The robot has been deployed in Spokane, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany, where it has processed half a million orders to date. The average robot is “numb and dumb,” particularly those operating in commercial settings, Aaron Parness, Amazon director of applied science, said. “They often don’t even know they have hit something because they cannot sense it.” Vulcan’s ability to grasp when and how it makes contact with an object — offers new ways for Amazon to bolster its operation-related jobs and facilities.