GXO is testing humanoid robots from three makers. So far, two Digit robots are at work at one site.

April 2025 — GXO Logistics, which runs warehouses for other companies, is piloting humanoid robots from Agility Robotics, Apptronik and Reflex Robotics. Here's what changed after the pilots began, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of April 2025)

Humanoid makers in pilots: three (Agility, Apptronik, Reflex), with four more vendors in talks, per Stoch. (Business Insider)
Digit units at work: two, in one facility, per Business Insider. (Business Insider)
GXO's network: more than 1,000 warehouses and more than 150,000 employees, per Business Insider. (Business Insider)
Contract model: Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS), for Agility and Reflex. (GXO)
Price and robot counts in contracts: not disclosed.

How the pilots started

GXO's humanoid work began with a proof-of-concept for Agility's Digit at the Spanx facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, announced Dec. 6, 2023. GXO runs that warehouse for Spanx. Digit, which GXO said is 5'9", weighs 140 pounds and lifts up to 35 pounds, was taught to move totes from autonomous mobile robots onto conveyors.

On June 27, 2024, GXO and Agility announced a multi-year RaaS agreement, under which GXO pays to use the robots rather than buying them. GXO called it "the industry's first formal commercial deployment of humanoid robots." Digit moves totes from collaborative robots onto conveyors, managed by Agility Arc, the company's fleet software. "We're building on the success of last year's groundbreaking pilot with Agility by deploying fully operational Digit humanoids into a live warehouse environment," Stoch said then. Agility CEO Peggy Johnson said Agility "is the first with actual humanoid robots deployed at a customer site, generating revenue, and solving real-world business problems." On Sept. 18, 2024, GXO announced a second RaaS deal, with Reflex, to pilot its robot "in an omni-channel fulfillment operation for a Fortune 100 retailer."

Where things stand

By April 2025, Business Insider reported, two Digit units were moving heavy containers from a 6 River Systems robot to a conveyor at the Spanx site, which it placed in Atlanta. Flowery Branch is in the Atlanta metro area. GXO was also testing Apptronik's Apollo with an undisclosed technology customer and Reflex's robot with a sports apparel customer, carrying empty cardboard from a Locus Robotics robot to a recycling machine. GXO was still discussing how best to use Apollo. Each humanoid does one task for now. Stoch described GXO's warehouses as a "lab environment" where makers get direct feedback, part of an incubator program that also covers robotic arms and autonomous mobile robots. Digit has made the most progress so far, he said.

"We are going really broad and aggressive on the category," Stoch said. He called the pilots "a risk-free proposition" for the makers, who get feedback from GXO's operators. He was candid on timing: "We're not at wide-scale deployment and commercial viability yet, but we're not 10 years away, that's for sure."

Before wider use, Stoch said, the robots need better dexterity and the ability to learn several tasks, and makers need to produce them efficiently at scale.

Not everyone is sure the human shape is right. "The big open question is: when is a humanoid form the right one?" Forrester analyst Paul Miller told Business Insider.

What went wrong

The scale is tiny. Two working Digits, against more than 1,000 warehouses.
One task each. The pitch is a general-purpose robot; the pilots are single-task.
The customer details shift. GXO's Reflex release named a Fortune 100 retailer; Business Insider describes a sports apparel customer.
What we don't know yet: what GXO pays per robot, how often the robots stop or need help, and whether any pilot will reach a second site.

Our follow-up question for GXO

What uptime and intervention rates is Digit hitting at Flowery Branch, and what would it take to add a second site?

Sources

Madeline Stone, Business Insider, “GXO Partners With Top Robotics Firms to Bring Humanoids to Warehouses,” Apr. 8, 2025. businessinsider.com
GXO, “GXO conducting industry-leading pilot of human-centric robot,” Dec. 6, 2023. gxo.com
GXO, “GXO signs industry-first multi-year agreement with Agility Robotics,” June 27, 2024. gxo.com
GXO, “GXO partners with Reflex Robotics to deploy new warehouse automation,” Sept. 18, 2024. gxo.com

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder