Amazon buys warehouse robotics startup Canvas Technology

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday said it had acquired Canvas Technology, a robotics startup in Boulder, Colorado, that has built autonomous carts that can move goods around warehouses.

An Amazon spokeswoman did not comment on the deal’s price tag but said the companies “share a common vision for a future where people work alongside robotics to further improve safety and the workplace experience. We look forward to working with Canvas Technology’s fantastic team to keep inventing for customers.”

The world’s largest online retailer has increasingly automated its fulfillment centers with robots, originally from Kiva Systems which it agreed to buy for $775 million in 2012, that transport shelves of inventory to workers to pick customer orders. Amazon has also shown growing interest in self-driving technology more broadly, recently participating in a $530 million funding round in driverless car startup Aurora Innovation Inc.

The deal was earlier reported by TechCrunch.