GXO and Apptronik Expand Apollo Logistics Field Trials, Envisioning Deployment of Up to 1,000 Units

GXO and Apptronik signed a letter of intent (LOI) on November 12, 2026, to expand joint field trials of the Apollo humanoid robot in logistics operations. Starting in 2027, the trials will cover tasks including picking, moving cases and totes, packing and sorting. If the trials are successful and the agreed productivity, safety and operational KPIs are met, the companies envision deploying up to 1,000 units globally over the next four years, with initial deployments in North America planned for the second half of 2027.

The companies’ plan does not amount to a decision to deploy Apollo across warehouses at once. It includes a process for deciding on deployment after evaluating task-specific KPIs and safety, among other factors. Because the companies envision RaaS as the commercial framework, adoption will depend not only on robot performance but also on service terms, including pricing and maintenance, as well as operational results in the field.

The focus is not only the scale of the plan for up to 1,000 units, but also the fact that field trials and achievement of KPIs are prerequisites for actual deployment. Signing the LOI does not confirm a mass deployment. Trials beginning in 2027 will assess safety, security and technical requirements, followed by evaluations of productivity, safety and operational KPIs for each task. Initial deployments in North America are also planned for the second half of 2027, and any broader rollout is contingent on successful trials, among other conditions. The announcement marks not the start of the partnership, but an expansion of proof-of-concept work and a pilot focused on autonomous picking of small consumer goods that began in 2024 into trials covering a wider range of warehouse tasks. The announcement also cites evaluations of more than 50 logistics tasks at Apptronik’s Robot Park, but the number of tasks does not indicate utilization rates or productivity in commercial settings. Forbes reports GXO’s plan to deploy Apptronik humanoid robots, which covered the announcement the same day, also did not confirm an actual deployment or business results. In a different work environment, Google DeepMind unveils Gemini Robotics 2.5, reports 96% success rate in auto parts picking reported proof-of-concept results involving Apptronik’s Apollo, but the conditions differ from continuous operations in logistics warehouses. On the business model, by envisioning RaaS, the companies are considering a framework that would allow them to adjust deployment scale as a service, rather than limiting the approach to outright robot purchases. The trials will cover multiple warehouse processes, from picking and moving goods to packing and sorting, and will assess collaboration with existing automation equipment and employees. As a result, deployment decisions are expected to depend not only on Apollo’s performance on its own, but also on operational KPIs that take into account handoffs between processes and the use of existing equipment. The announcement, however, did not specify RaaS pricing, maintenance responsibilities, baseline KPI targets for each use case, the number of trial sites or unit counts at each stage. Going forward, it will be important to track how much task-specific evaluation data is made public, how actual operating hours and downtime and maintenance are handled, and under what conditions the plan for up to 1,000 units could proceed to deployment.

The trials will cover multiple warehouse tasks, including “goods-to-person” picking, in which goods are brought to workers, and “person-to-goods” picking, in which workers go to the goods. Evaluations starting in 2027 will assess safety, security and technical requirements, and the companies will evaluate and rank each use case based on productivity, safety and operational KPIs they agree on. They will also assess whether the robots can work alongside existing automation equipment and GXO employees. The commercial framework is expected to include RaaS. The companies began working together in 2024 on a proof of concept to explore practical warehouse applications, and Apollo completed a U.S. pilot focused on autonomous picking of small consumer goods. The companies said they collected data and evaluated autonomous operation across more than 50 logistics tasks at Apptronik’s Robot Park.