Amazon’s delivery bots blur the line between human and machine. Credit: geralt from pixabay via Canva.com
Amazon is currently testing humanoid robots for package delivery, and these machines don’t throw or fly; instead, they walk upright, just like humans. Agility Robotics builds them, and these pedal bots are being trained to carry parcels and eventually handle the last meter of delivery, which is the doorstep.
It is the next logical step for Amazon, which has already automated its warehouses, experimented with drones, and now ground-based bots. However, unlike the Prime Air or Scout, this robot doesn’t just move; it acts and moves like a real person. This subtle difference carries weight; it’s not only about efficiency, but also about how far Amazon and Society are willing to go to create a place where human presence is combined with something that oddly looks familiar.
From warehouse bots, to walking robots
For over a decade now, Amazon has been automating its logistics. The new test in San Francisco marks a shift as the company experiments with Digit, a humanoid robot created by Agility Robotics to simulate doorstep deliveries in real-world conditions.
Unlike their previous spots that rolled alongside walks or flew overhead, these botwalks walk on two legs. It is designed to handle basic tasks such as carrying packages or walking up the stairs, functions that are easy for humans but, for the time being, are complex for machines.
This idea isn’t to replace delivery vans as of yet; rather, Amazon is testing whether robots can step out, with a two-person delivery team where one drops off the parcel and returns, effectively.
This is based on earlier automation efforts with Kiva robots in warehouses, Amazon Scout, which are cooler on-wheel sidewalk robots, and Prime Air. This drone project is still in a limited trial.
Digit isn’t faster or flashier, but it is designed to move like us. When the technology starts to mirror form, it no longer feels like a tool; it might feel like a replacement.
The automation threshold
Most of this automation occurs out of sight, inside warehouses across fulfilment centres and systems you never truly meet. It’s mainly in the back end, but this is different. The delivery is intimate so that it will come to your home and interact with your space, your attention, and your routine.
That’s what makes Amazon’s robot test so important because it crosses into the visible share territory. Replacing that moment with the robot isn’t simply a change in logistics; it’s more of a cultural psychological shift.
A transaction through an exchange where a machine imitates a human form but offers none of its form. This is where the real test begins.
What is next
For now, Amazon’s robot is still in the testing phase. It does walk through a closed humanoid park in San Francisco, not the streets. However, we can understand that automation is evolving to resemble us more closely, allowing it to perform tasks in the same way and at the same location as we do. Whether this future is efficient or Eerie depends on your perspective.
For companies such as Amazon, it is a way to optimise labour to cut costs, reduce the strain on human drivers and stay ahead in the race for last-mile delivery dominance.
For society, it might entail different questions, such as what is the value of presence in daily interaction, and how much of our public life are we willing to automate. This isn’t just about delivering; it’s about the texture of everyday life and who or what we let into it.
