What was Amazon Robotics called before its 2015 rename?

Amazon Robotics was called Kiva Systems before its 2015 rename.

Kiva Systems was founded in 2003 to build mobile warehouse robots that carried inventory shelves, or pods, to human workers. Its robots followed coded routes across fulfillment centers, helping reduce walking and speed up picking.

Amazon acquired Kiva Systems in March 2012 for about $775 million. After the acquisition, Kiva’s technology became increasingly associated with Amazon’s own fulfillment operations rather than being sold broadly to outside retailers. In August 2015, the company officially changed its name to Amazon Robotics.

A common mix-up is confusing Kiva Systems with Amazon’s later individual robot products. Kiva was the company and technology platform; newer systems include autonomous robots such as Proteus. The orange Kiva drive units remain an important foundation of Amazon’s warehouse automation, but “GreyOrange,” “Boston Dynamics,” and “Fetch Robotics” are separate robotics companies.