Huge yellow robots glide across a warehouse floor, guided by QR codes. Moving with an unerring purpose, the cuboid-shaped machines – each stacked with shelves full of products – deliver everything from masquerade masks to Xbox consoles to staff members waiting nearby.
The packages are picked, scanned and placed into black boxes. These boxes then travel along conveyor belts to the floor below, where each item is packed and prepared for shipping.
I am watching the process unfold at Amazon's new fulfilment centre near Hull, where staff – and their robots – are gearing up for one of the busiest shopping days of the year: Black Friday.
The 11-week-old warehouse, just outside the village of North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, is the size of 11 football pitches and cost £550m to build and equip.
It employs 2,000 staff, most of whom are busy picking, packing and shipping Black Friday orders.
