GXO Embraces Amazon's Strategy: Trials AI-Driven Humanoids in Warehouses

When AI-driven robots enter the warehouse space, what occurs next? The logistics company GXO Logistics is exploring this territory to discover more.

The American-based storage company has introduced human-like robots created by Agility Robotics, Reflex Robotics, and Apptronik to advance the frontiers of warehouse automation.

In a Spanx plant managed by GXO located in Atlanta, Digit —The two-legged robot developed by Agility Robotics—is already at work, picking up heavy containers from a 6 River Systems bot and setting them onto a conveyor belt.

The 5-foot-9-inch, 140-pound human-shaped robot has been operating at the site since October.

Humanoids on the job

It’s one of several humanoids the company is piloting in real-world warehouse environments.

Apptronik’s Apollo, standing at 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, is a human-like robot featuring a four-hour battery life and capable of carrying up to 55 pounds. It is included in the pilot program and is presently undergoing testing for an unnamed tech company.

Meanwhile, a Reflex Robotics humanoid is sent to move vacant cardboard containers from a Locus Robotics system at a sports clothing client site.

The Reflex Robot operating within theGXO warehouse.

A different robot participating in GXO’s pilot initiative originates from Reflex Robotics, after both firms entered into a robotics-as-a-service (RaaS) pact in September.

While Reflex’s machine is less traditionally humanoid in appearance than Digit or Apollo, it still features movable arms and a head-mounted on an elongated torso atop a wheeled base.

The robot aims to ultimately achieve full autonomy through gradual learning from human demonstrations.

One robot, one job

At this point, every android in GXO’s pilot initiative is intended to perform one particular job exclusively.

In addition to this, the logistics behemoth is currently engaged in discussions with four additional humanoid robotics firms, indicating plans to explore warehouse-appropriate robotic solutions.

The chief automation officer at GXO, Adrian Stoch, expresses confidence that robots can handle various jobs within a warehouse setting.

“We are going really broad and aggressive on the category,” Stoch told Business Insider. “It’s because of where we see this going.”

The firm views its warehouses as a "laboratory setting," where they deploy humanoid robots to assess their technical capabilities in actual working environments, thereby offering insights for the developers of these robots.

Stoch mentioned that collaborating with humanoids is a significant aspect of this incubator program.

"It's a risk-free opportunity for them, as they can introduce their technology, deploy it beyond the usual core processes, and we offer insights from our operators along with input from my team," explained Stoch.

Next, we collaborate with the vendors to implement enhancements.

GXO’s humanoid The initiative is still quite new, considering the vast scope of their operations. Despite having over 1,000 warehouses and employing more than 150,000 people, the company has so far deployed only two instances of Digit at one location.

The firm believes that AI-driven robots should acquire proficiency in various tasks prior to overseeing the complete operation.

"We haven’t reached widespread implementation and commercial feasibility just yet, but I can assure you we’re much closer than ten years from now," stated Stoch.

GXO has entered the ranks of businesses placing their bets on humanoid robots as the future of embodied artificial intelligence.

Large corporations such as Amazon, Meta, and Tesla are making significant investments in humanoid robotics, anticipating a future where these AI-driven machines handle numerous jobs presently carried out by people.