Warehouses without people: how internal logistics is changing

Accenture, Vodafone and SAP launch a pilot with humanoid robots at a warehouse in Duisburg.

Europe's largest companies are moving humanoids from slide decks into real operations. Accenture, Vodafone and SAP have announced a joint pilot in which humanoid robots will work at a warehouse in Duisburg, Germany.

What matters is not the robots themselves but the tasks assigned to them: moving around an ordinary warehouse, running visual checks and working with existing infrastructure through SAP warehouse management systems. Most warehouses are built for people, and operating in them without a major rebuild would sharply accelerate automation.

The first wave of warehouse automation relied on conveyors and carts. The next relies on humanoids capable of handling a broad range of tasks in spaces designed for people.