DHL wants to buy 1000 stretch robots from Boston Dynamics
DHL is buying 1000 stretch robots and wants to find out what else the robot can be used for in the Group in addition to loading and unloading.
Stretch robot stacking parcels.
(Image: DHL Group)
The global logistics company DHL Group and the robotics company Boston Dynamics, which have been cooperating since 2018, intend to work together even more closely in the future. DHL Group announced this on Tuesday. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding that provides for DHL to purchase 1,000 additional Stretch robots by 2030. The aim is to evaluate whether the Stretch robot, which is intended for loading and unloading parcels, can also be used for other tasks.
Boston Dynamics launched Stretch on the market in 2022. DHL was one of the first companies to use the robot, initially in North America in 2023. DHL spent 15 million US dollars on it. DHL then introduced the logistics robot in the United Kingdom and Europe.
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At its core, the robot is a robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom, which is mounted on a mobile platform. Sensors and cameras are attached to a mast, allowing Stretch to perceive its surroundings and objects. Using a type of suction cup array, the robot can pick up parcels and crates and automatically load and unload vehicles or work in the warehouse. When stacking the parcels, the robot automatically takes their size into account and places them in a space-saving manner. Thanks to its mobile platform, Stretch can be used flexibly wherever it is needed, making it very easy to automate logistics areas. The robot can handle up to 800 parcels per hour.
DHL now wants to integrate Stretch further into its operational processes. To this end, the robot will initially also be used to pick boxes. This is a particularly labor-intensive task. DHL and Boston Dynamics intend to find further areas of application for Stretch and to drive forward automation at DHL.
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DHL has not been idle in recent years and has invested beyond one billion euros in the automation of its contract logistics division over the past three years. DHL uses more than 7500 robots worldwide. These include robots from other robotics companies such as AutoStore, Fox Robotics, Geek+ and Locus Robotics.
(olb)
