Logistics giant GXO, has announced the company will be introducing an early-stage proof-of-concept program to introduce humanoid robots within their operations.

In partnership with American robotics manufacture, Apptronik, GXO hopes these prototypes will meet evolving demands of the logistics industry.

The robots are called Apollo and they stand at 5.8 feet tall, weigh 160 Lbs and can carry a load of up to 55 pounds.

Apollo are powered by long-lasting swappable batteries with a run time of up to four hours per battery.

Adrian Stoch, Chief Automation Officer, GXO said expressed that he is excited to be working with the robotics manufacturer to develop their AI-enabled humanoid robots.

“Apollo has great potential to add value throughout the distribution centre, including the most labour-intensive operational processes.

“These kinds of robotics reduce repetitive work and improve safety while freeing associates to focus on higher-value-added activities,” he added

According to Adrain GXO will also be evaluating cabaility for other critical use cases as the company conubie to progress on their R&D journey with Apptronik.  

Co-founder and CEO of Apptrinik, Jeff Cardenas, explained that the two phases of this R&D program represent steps toward the launch of an innovative scalable automation solution for GXO.

Jeff said: “Our mission is to build versatile robots that can do work in real-world applications – from large, powerful movements like transporting boxes and totes, to small, precise ones like picking individual items or scanning barcodes.

“That’s why we’re committed to helping technology leader GXO optimize its logistics operations and create an even safer, more engaging workplace for its employees with the help of Apollo,” said Jeff.