Amazon sets sights on humanoid robots for last-mile delivery

Something to look forward to: Amazon's ongoing investment in robotics and AI suggests the company sees automation as a key part of its future. Now, it is experimenting with humanoid robots in its delivery operations, an initiative that could fundamentally reshape how packages reach their final destination and potentially transform the nature of delivery work itself.

According to a report from The Information, the e-commerce giant is developing artificial intelligence software to power these robots and has nearly completed an indoor testing facility – dubbed the "humanoid park" – at its San Francisco offices. The facility is designed to simulate the unpredictable challenges of real-world deliveries, featuring mock doorways, stairs, and even a Rivian electric delivery van for practice runs.

The initiative aims to create a robotic workforce capable of handling the so-called "last mile" of delivery, a task currently managed by hundreds of thousands of human workers worldwide.

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