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June 9, 2025
Should Robots Be Delivering Packages?
Amazon is reportedly developing artificial intelligence that will enable humanoid robots to deliver parcels using vans, aiming to automate delivery from warehouse to doorstep.
According to The Information, a “humanoid park” mock environment has been built at an Amazon facility in San Francisco to test and train robots to enter and exit a Rivian van while picking up and carrying packages over stairs, curbs, doorsteps, and other obstacles before dropping them off.
Sources said Amazon envisions a human driving the van while the robot handles some of the deliveries, cutting down route times and making the process more efficient.
The project appears to be at early stages, with Amazon working on AI-supported software to power the robots, as well as testing several different humanoid robots, including those from the Chinese company Unitree.
Amazon is also working on humanoid robots that would work in its warehouses, according to Reuters, reporting on an event at Amazon’s Lab126 research facility.
In a post on its X account, Amazon pointed to a Silicon Valley story about how it’s using agentic AI across several fronts: “We’re developing foundation models that will allow fulfillment center robots to understand and act on natural language commands. Imagine saying ‘Pick up that yellow tote’ and having a robot do it instantly. The future of robotics is here, and it speaks your language.”
At Amazon warehouses, some robots use computer vision and suction cups to move individual products or packages, while other robots lift and haul carts of goods. For homes, the Amazon Astro robot, costing $1,600, offers home security monitoring, remote care of elderly relatives, and roaming virtual assistance.
The use of human-like robotics for package delivery could replace human workers, although the trucking industry has long been facing a driver shortage that’s expected to worsen as older drivers retire.
Discussion Questions
What to think of the potential of humanoid robots to supplement or replace human delivery drivers?
Would robots reduce costs, mitigate driver shortages, and improve delivery performance or create bigger problems?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Cathy Hotka
Principal, Cathy Hotka & Associates
Doug Garnett
President, Protonik
Gene Detroyer
Professor, International Business, Guizhou University of Finance & Economics and University of Sanya, China.
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Last mile delivery is one of the costliest parts of the fulfillment process. Few consumers pay the full price of this, and most would not be willing to do so. As such, it is only a matter of time before it becomes fully automated via driverless cars and robots. Admittedly, we are a long way off this as a universal standard and a lot more testing needs to be done. Proper regulatory frameworks, especially for driverless cars, also need to be created. However, I see it as a matter of when and not if this becomes more commonplace.
I’ve only one concern: did a rogue programmer slip in a function that will allow them to unionize ?
Finding a cost-efficient and reliable fulfillment option (in this case, robots) could be a viable alternative in some, not all, instances. I don’t think we have a tipping point, where it works for all deliveries, but this will help get customers their packages even quicker in certain instances, freeing up traditional delivery (by humans) for the rest. When you combine that with warehouse automation, it’s a winning combination.
This is another one of those inevitable things. As technology improves and costs come down, this will become more commonplace over time. Can’t be any worse than the delivery mistake last week where my mattress was delivered to an apartment building a couple miles away and I got their plastic totes. I had to resolve it myself since I couldn’t get anyone to quickly fix the situation.
The irony of last mile delivery is that retailers don’t need to do it — customers who come to their stores are doing last mile delivery. But should they use robots? No. Tech will not save retailers here. Tech is, after all, extraordinarily expensive and prone to very high long term costs. To see that we need only remember how much COBOL code remains at the core of company operations. Certainly new systems use new code. But once used, that code will not change. In 20 years, then, those who dash off after robots will be seeking old folks who still remember how to program the robots they can no longer control. Remember: A robot is the ultimate shiny bauble — something delivering little value.
Package delivery isn’t easy, and I’m guessing that this is going to take longer to perfect than Amazon wants. They keep teasing us with these stories (remember when drones were going to deliver burgers and shakes?) but we’re just not there yet.
Should robots deliver packages? Why not? But we have been talking about this for a very long time. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Welcome to the latest edition of “technology-first thinking” rather than problem-first thinking. I have said many times on these pages that Amazon’s core competency is leading-edge technology, especially when it reduces or eliminates labor. The driver shortage is a red herring; fix the labor economics, and you fix the shortage. The fundamental issue isn’t whether robots can deliver packages but if they should. Amazon already has a perfectly viable solution to the “last mile” problem: customers coming to pickup locations (Amazon lockers, Whole Foods, etc.). This eliminates delivery complexity while reducing costs.
The real story here is Amazon’s strategic foresight. This isn’t about solving a delivery problem; it’s about creating a bigger moat. Humanoid delivery robots aren’t about efficiency; they’re more about making the barrier to entry so technologically complex that competitors can’t afford to play.
Most Amazon customers do not want to collect things from lockers. They want things delivering directly to their homes. That is a major part of Amazon’s appeal.
100%- the goal is to avoid going somewhere, parking, and having to navigate a locker.
Fair points on customer preference, but let’s examine the behavioral economics. Customers say they want ‘free’ home delivery, but higher prices subsidize it and (for some) VC funding – it’s not actually free.
When customers see the actual cost of last-mile delivery, pickup networks become not just viable, but inevitable, and enviable. Amazon’s robot play (and drone deliveries) isn’t about solving today’s problem; it’s about maintaining pricing opacity while competitors struggle with unsustainable delivery economics.
The real test comes when the subsidies end.
Most of Amazon’s last mile delivery is profitable. They have the volume and density to make it so. Robots are just about reducing costs further. I don’t think pick-up is inevitable. In fact, I would wager a bet we never go to that as a mainstream option. It’s not what consumers want and most players are investing more in last mile to bolster the service.
My own personal opinion- a robot with wheels that tools around my neighborhood feels far less threatening than a cyborg walking up my walk with my latest package. Maybe because at my age, this is the start of an entire genre of dystopian sci-fi.
What if the robot looked like R2-D2 and made fun beeping sounds?
This is an “of course”.
If robots can build automobiles, indeed, they can deliver a package.
The short answer is NO. The long answer is NO. Enough with robots infiltrating our personal space. Keep them in factories,