Amazon is testing humanoid robots to deliver packages
In the not-so-distant future, your Amazon package may be handed to you not by a human, but by a humanoid robot leaping out of an electric delivery van.
Amazon is developing advanced AI software to transform humanoid robots into mobile package couriers. These robots are being designed to ride inside electric delivery vans and autonomously deliver packages straight to customers' doorsteps. This development signals a bold step in Amazon’s long-term automation strategy.
Testing the Future
Amazon has nearly completed a special training ground—a so-called “humanoid park”—at one of its offices in San Francisco. Roughly the size of a coffee shop, the space contains an obstacle course and a Rivian van to help train the robots in realistic delivery scenarios. This testbed is a major milestone in making the concept of robot-delivered packages a reality.
A variety of robots are slated for testing, including the $16,000 humanoid unit from Chinese robotics firm Unitree. Amazon is also continuing trials with Agility Robotics’ “Digit,” a bipedal robot designed to handle tasks like package delivery. Originally intended to hop out of vans and bring packages to the door, Digit now finds itself part of a wider initiative to push robotic delivery into the mainstream.
Intelligent by Design
Powering this vision is Amazon’s new “agentic AI” team. Their mission? To build robots that don’t just follow scripts, but can understand and respond to human language and complex environments. According to Amazon, they are moving away from rigid, single-purpose machines toward more intelligent systems—robots that act like real-world assistants, able to multitask and adapt on the fly.
The idea is to build AI-driven robots that can operate in both Amazon's warehouses and the outside world, providing seamless support across the entire logistics chain. These next-gen systems would be capable of interpreting natural language commands and making autonomous decisions based on real-time context.
A Fully Automated Supply Chain?
Amazon’s ambitions stretch well beyond humanoid couriers. The company’s 2020 acquisition of autonomous vehicle startup Zoox hints at a broader vision: end-to-end automation of its delivery network, from fulfillment centers to your doorstep. Combining robotaxis, AI-driven warehouse automation, and humanoid delivery bots could one day allow Amazon to operate a logistics chain with minimal human intervention.
What This Means for Jobs
Amazon currently employs hundreds of thousands of workers in its global delivery network. While robots are not yet ready to replace human drivers and couriers at scale, these developments suggest that parts of the job—particularly the repetitive or physically demanding ones—could eventually be handled by machines.
Still, Amazon insists that the new technology is intended to assist, not replace, human workers—at least in the short term. Whether that remains true as capabilities improve will be closely watched by industry analysts and labor advocates alike.
The Road Ahead
The rollout of humanoid delivery robots won’t happen overnight, but Amazon’s dedicated investment in AI and robotics makes it a likely candidate to pioneer this frontier. The success of the San Francisco testing facility could pave the way for real-world trials in neighborhoods across the U.S.
For now, the sight of a humanoid robot stepping out of an electric van with your latest online order remains the stuff of science fiction—but maybe not for much longer.
