Amazon is reportedly training humanoid robots for parcel delivery

Amazon is reportedly working on expanding the use of robots. So far, these have primarily been used in logistics, but in future humanoid robots could bring parcels from the delivery vehicle to the front door. Insiders are now reporting that Amazon is working on corresponding software for robot AI and that a suitable test environment is already nearing completion.

The humanoid robot Digit has been working at Amazon since 2023, but initially only in productive use for certain tasks in logistics centers, such as recycling. Digit was developed by Agility Robotics and is also used by other companies. For almost a year now, Digit has been the first humanoid robot to work permanently in a company, at logistics service provider GXO Logistics.

Training center for robot parcel carriers

Agility Robotics originally intended and advertised the robot for parcel delivery in addition to logistics tasks, as The Verge wrote five years ago. Now, Digit could soon fulfill this purpose. The Information has learned from an unnamed source involved in the matter that Amazon has almost completed the construction of a test room the size of a café within an Amazon building in San Francisco.

An electric delivery van from Amazon partner Rivian is also parked there for training purposes. The robots will later be placed next to the parcels in the loading area and deliver the parcel(s) when they arrive at the recipient's location. This process is to be tested using obstacle courses. The humanoid robots need to be trained for this, but Amazon is still working on the corresponding software, according to reports.

The retail group itself has not yet commented on this. Just under a month ago, Amazon unveiled its first robot with a sense of touch that can perform gripping and lifting tasks with the help of physical AI, which should make workplaces safer and processes more efficient. But this is not a humanoid robot. But now Amazon has told SiliconValley.com: “Instead of rigid, specialized robots, we're developing systems that can hear, understand and respond to natural voice commands. This will turn warehouse robots into flexible, versatile assistants.”

Tests of Chinese robots too

Amazon wants to test various humanoid robot models for parcel delivery, including the Unitree G1 from China, which costs 16,000 US dollars, writes The Verge. In the soon-to-be completed test environment, this robot will also demonstrate whether it can independently bring parcels from the delivery van to the front door.

If robots master this parcel delivery, Amazon could soon automate the entire delivery process. After all, following the acquisition of the start-up Zoox almost exactly five years ago, Amazon also has direct access to technologies for self-driving cars. With autonomous delivery vans and robots for parcel handover, Amazon would no longer need humans for the delivery process from the warehouse to the front door.

(fds)