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Amazon’s Next Leap: Humanoid Robots in Last-Mile Delivery
The future of package delivery may soon look a lot more futuristic, as Amazon reportedly advances its efforts to train humanoid robots for delivering packages right to your doorstep. According to The Information, Amazon is in the final stages of developing advanced artificial intelligence software that equips these robots to serve as delivery agents, traveling in Rivian electric vans before handling the crucial last step of package drop-off.
AI-Driven Robotics: Transforming Amazon’s Logistics
Sources familiar with the project revealed that Amazon has nearly completed a dedicated “humanoid park” — an indoor tech playground in its San Francisco office, approximately the size of a coffee shop. This space is designed as an obstacle course replicating real-world delivery scenarios. Here, humanoid robots are trained to ride in the back of Amazon’s custom Rivian electric vans and quickly deploy to deliver parcels directly to customers.
Key Features and Advanced AI Capabilities
This initiative is part of Amazon’s broader move to revolutionize its distribution and logistics operations using cutting-edge robotics technology and generative AI. The company has also formed a new agentic AI team tasked with developing intelligent systems for future warehouse and delivery robots. Unlike traditional rigid robots, Amazon’s next-gen models are being designed as versatile, multi-skilled assistants that can understand and respond to natural language commands — a major step toward fully autonomous and adaptive logistics.
Comparisons and Market Impact
Amazon has already integrated autonomous robots into its fulfillment centers, including the Agility Robotics “Digit” humanoid, originally envisioned for dynamic logistics tasks such as package handling and delivery. Competing robotics from global providers, like the $16,000 Unitree humanoid robot from China, are also reportedly being tested, indicating Amazon’s commitment to evaluating a range of technological solutions for optimized delivery automation.
Use Cases and Strategic Advantages
Deploying humanoid robots for package delivery could free up hundreds of thousands of human workers currently handling global logistics, while boosting delivery efficiency and reliability. Automated robots are well-suited for repetitive tasks, challenging environments, and high-demand periods — positioning Amazon to stay ahead in the increasingly competitive e-commerce and last-mile delivery market.
Expanding Automation Through Strategic Acquisitions
Amazon’s 2020 acquisition of robotaxi firm Zoox underscores its ambitions to automate the entire package delivery pipeline. By integrating Zoox’s autonomous vehicle technology with a fleet of intelligent humanoid robots, Amazon aims to deliver seamless, end-to-end automation from warehouse shelves to front doors worldwide.
Source: theverge
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