Are robots the answer to Amazon’s safety woes?

Inside Amazon's new warehouse in Arlington, Washington, a “picker” places a box of toothbrushes into a cubby on a big yellow shelf that looks like a bookcase.

In another part of the sprawling facility, the yellow shelves are hoisted on top of little blue robots that resemble bumper cars. But unlike the carnival ride, these cars are programmed not to run into each other. They also freeze when an Amazon worker steps out onto the floor wearing an “amnesty” vest.

On another floor, a robotic arm straight out of a sci-fi movie lifts and sorts packages. Bruno Arnal, the general manager for the store, says the machine relieves human workers of the repetitive motions needed to sort packages.

This is Amazon's answer to mounting criticisms about workplace safety at its fulfillment centers. Amazon is under scrutiny by state and federal regulators for the conditions inside the warehouses that power its e-commerce business. Labor organizers and regulators say repetitive motions and a fast-paced environment put workers at higher risk than their counterparts at other companies. Amazon says its safety record is improving, and points to investments in technologies like those on display at the new Arlington facility.

PAE2 — named for the nearby Paine Field airport — is a brand new, 2.8 million square foot warehouse with room for 1,400 to 1,600 employees. It is the largest and most “most technologically advanced robotics sortable fulfillment center,” in the Northwest, according to Amazon.

“Amazon has, this year alone, Amazon invested more than $550 million in safety-related projects across the network,” Arnal said during a ribbon cutting and tour of the new warehouse Thursday. “And this site, when you tour it, you will see all the latest upgrades and research and development that led to a better and safer workplace.”

Amazon is currently battling regulators in court over alleged safety violations at several warehouses in Washington. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries has fined Amazon for allegedly putting workers at risk of injury in four fulfillment centers over the past few years. Amazon appealed the citations in a lawsuit expected to run through September.

RELATED: Amazon takes Washington regulators to court over alleged safety violations

Amazon says its major investments in robotics will make warehouses safer, though the company maintains it doesn't have a safety problem to begin with. Amazon also says the robots will create new jobs and upskilling opportunities for workers, though Arnal declined to comment on how many jobs could be displaced by the robots.

“We have hundreds of robots on the site,” he said in a presentation ahead of the tour. “They are working in parallel to our employees to help them do the sophisticated jobs.”