According to a news report, Amazon will begin testing Agility Robotics’ humanoid robot “Digit” in its warehouses. We also take this opportunity to discuss the application prospects of bipedal robots in the field of logistics in the future.

Recently, Amazon announced that it has begun testing the humanoid robot Digit in its warehouses, which has sparked speculation about the future of humanoid robots in the logistics field. Digit, a bipedal robot built by Agility Robotics that can grab and lift objects, will first take on the task of carrying empty boxes in Amazon’s warehouses, while the company continues to explore more new ways to automate warehouses.

The work in the warehousing field is full of repetition and triviality, but at the same time it is the least “standardized” and “item handling consistency”. For distribution center operators, faced with a wide variety of products or fluctuating demand, the flexibility of humanoid robots can help them solve the ongoing workforce and skills crisis facing the logistics industry. For example, unlike other automation technologies that require massive changes to warehouse workflows, humanoid robots can effectively supplement the labor needed during peak periods without substantial changes to the original warehouse workflows. An early application for humanoid robots could be unloading trailers, as the job is simple, repetitive and physically demanding. Unlike other robotic solutions, humanoid robots are flexible enough to take on many different tasks within the factory, rather than being confined to a single process or job.

Despite the current media coverage surrounding the technology and models in development, humanoid robots won’t make much of a dent in the existing warehouse automation space in the short to medium term, as pilot projects can take months or even years to complete. However, considering factors such as labor shortage, skills shortage and unstable demand, there is still a high demand for various robot solutions in the logistics sector. The widespread use of humanoid robots in warehouses is possible, but not inevitable. It may well be that other robotic technologies are better suited to perform specific tasks and pose fewer ethical problems from the point of view of “machine substitutions.”

The warehouse is ripe for humanoid robots,

But ethical issues remain obstacles

Reports that Amazon is testing Digit humanoid robots in its warehouses have raised concerns about machines replacing human labor. But the “non-human” nature of other automated systems does not cause as much unease as humanoid robots. In response to fears of job losses, Amazon highlighted the “hundreds of thousands of new jobs” created by the use of its robotic systems, including “700 new types of technology jobs that didn’t exist before.” In recent years, the global warehousing industry, especially in the United States, has been facing serious labor shortages and skills shortages. A poll released earlier this year by MHI and Deloitte revealed that recruiting and retaining qualified workers and coping with talent shortages are the top challenges for U.S. supply chain managers, while many businesses are also planning to invest in robotics and automation technologies in the near future.

As the application of humanoid robots in the field of warehousing becomes a reality, the distribution industry is also beginning to think about what profound impact this will have on human labor, and how long in the future humanoid robots will be widely used in distribution centers. But while Digit is able to walk on two feet and use its arms to carry objects, we’re still a long way from Blade Runner’s dystopian future, where sentient robots can walk through crowds without being detected. In fact, Digit is designed specifically for warehouse automation, where the complexity of having a human mind and movement is far less important than increasing throughput and filling skill and workforce gaps. Amazon, which currently has nearly 1.5 million employees worldwide, wants to emphasize that deploying humanoid robots can create more jobs and replace the most “simple, monotonous and repetitive” tasks. Digit, developed by Amazon-backed Agility Robotics, is described as a “mobile operations solution.” Digit stands 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall and can lift and carry up to 35 pounds (16 kg), as well as squat, reach, pick up and drop items.

Tye Brady, chief technologist at Amazon Robotics, told reporters in Seattle that the move does not mean layoffs, and that people are still “irreplaceable” for Amazon because they “have a higher level of thinking and the ability to diagnose problems.”

Companies like Figure AI and Boston Dynamics are also developing and testing other humanoid robots for use in distribution centers. Tesla’s Optimus Robot can automatically calibrate its arms and legs, so it is fully capable of sorting items autonomously. Meanwhile, tech startup Apptronik is expected to launch Apollo in the second half of 2024. Videos of the humanoid robot have already shown its walking, picking, stacking and unloading functions.

In fact, warehouse automation solutions have been around for decades. For example, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) deployed alongside manual workers can perform many menial and physically demanding tasks; The automated storage and retrieval system can sort orders at a faster speed and increase warehouse throughput.

Most companies tend to combine robotics with human labor in the work scenario. In fact, a lot of information suggests that people seem to like working with robots like AMRs because these robots can take on most of the menial, physically demanding work, with humans acting as supervisors. However, the advent of humanoid robots could make the situation even trickier: After all, who wants to be caught up with, competed with, or even surpassed by a robot that looks and behaves like a human?