FedEx moves closer to deploying robots that can load trailers

Technology assistance is being pursued to improve worker safety and network efficiency.

Loading and unloading trailers is one of the most physically demanding and challenging tasks for warehouse workers in FedEx’s package operations, requiring real-time problem solving. Automating that workflow has been difficult because of the variability of package sizes, weights, and loading conditions, as well as the need to implement it across thousands of trailers in the FedEx system. 

The advent of physical AI — which lets autonomous systems like robots perceive, understand, reason and perform or orchestrate complex functions in the real world by executing movements through motors, robotic arms or wheels — has brought the technology closer to commercial reality. 

“Truck unloading and truck loading are a very difficult problem for robotics to solve — packages come in every size, shape and weight,” said CEO Raj Subrmaniam, in an interview with the New York Times in January. “We’re not looking for humanoid robots. We’re looking for super humanoid robots because maybe they need to have a couple of elbows. More degrees of freedom. It’s not ready for prime time yet.”

The ongoing tests with Dexterity allow FedEx to better analyze how AI-assisted robots perform in trailer-loading operations and how it can be integrated into broader hub operations, including destination planning, trailer assignment, maintenance and workforce processes, FedEx said in a news release.

Future deployment decisions will be informed by safety, operational performance, reliability, business needs, and lessons learned from evaluating the technology at a larger operational scale, said spokeswoman Christina Meek. The Dexterity loader is also being used at a facility in Tracy, California, she added.

Dexterity’s trailer loader is controlled by Foresight, an AI model that makes real-time decisions in dynamic environments. By combining vision, depth, and touch, Foresight predicts how physical AI actions impact the world. In autonomous trailer loading, it reasons across three spatial dimensions and time to optimize how packages are placed for space, stability, and speed across a wide range of operating conditions. Foresight powers Dexterity’s dual-armed “human-like” robot, Mech, which is designed for heavy industrial operations, while remaining compact enough to operate inside trailers.

In February, FedEx announced a pilot implementation of the Scoop autonomous robotic package unloader from Berkshire Grey Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank pursuing AI-powered robotic solutions for supply chain processes, after a multiyear collaboration. The Scoop has been engineered specifically for bulk automated trailer unloading, delivering a continuous flow and handling all package types. FedEx said at the time that the first Scoop will be operating in a live environment this year. 

(Why It Matters: Automating the process of loading and unloading trailers could unlock huge savings for trucking companies and reduce heavy lifting for employees.)

In 2021, FedEx deployed Berkshire Grey’s Robotic Product Sortation and Identification (RPSi) systems to robotically sort small packages that arrive daily and require distribution. In 2022, the companies expanded their relationship, announcing an agreement for developing broader AI robotic capabilities to help improve the safety and efficiency of FedEx package handling operations globally. 

Pickle partnership

Meanwhile, Berkeley, California-based Ambi Robotics and Pickle Robot, Charleston, Massachusetts, said they had successfully integrated their robotic systems to provide an end-to-end, trailer-to-warehouse automated solution in response to demand from Fortune 500 retail and logistics companies.

The deployment combines Pickle Robot’s trailer-unloading robots with Ambi Robotics’ AmbiStack multi-purpose stacking solution, enabling a continuous and autonomous flow of packages from inbound trailers through receiving operations, the startup companies said in a news release. Cases are unloaded from trailers by Pickle Robot’s systems, then inducted via conveyor into AmbiStack for identification, scanning, and stacking for downstream warehouse operations. The technology leverages existing warehouse infrastructure and systems, enabling customers to fully automate critical inbound processes without major facility redesigns. 

The collaboration demonstrates how warehouse operators can deploy specialized automation technologies from multiple providers to address labor-intensive workflows, such as dock-door transfers, while maintaining operational flexibility, according to the announcement.

“As Physical AI transforms supply chains, interoperability will become increasingly important. We believe the future of warehouse automation will be built on collaboration across the industry, where specialized systems work together to solve complex operational challenges,” said Ambi Robotics CEO Jim Liefer.

“Customers want automation that improves real-world throughput while fitting into existing operations,” said AJ Meyer, founder and CEO of Pickle Robot Co. “This collaboration shows how robotic unloading can integrate seamlessly with downstream automation systems to help move goods more efficiently through the warehouse, and it sets the stage for orchestrating multi-robot processes that can self-improve and self-correct over time.” 

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