GXO and Apptronik outline conditional Apollo rollout

GXO and Apptronik have signed a letter of intent to extend their work on Apollo humanoids in logistics. In its release dated 2026-11-12, GXO describes a commercial framework based on Robotics-as-a-Service, with warehouse trials leading any wider expansion.

Trials in working warehouses

The companies plan to begin the expanded trials in 2027. Tasks include picking goods brought to a worker, picking while moving between goods, moving cases and totes, packing, and sorting. Each use case is to be assessed and ordered against productivity, safety and operational indicators agreed by both companies. The trials will also examine technical and security requirements and how Apollo works alongside employees and existing automation.

If the deployments succeed and meet those indicators, the companies intend to move toward a global rollout of up to 1000 Apollo robots over 4 years. GXO places the initial North American deployment in late 2027. Those quantities and dates describe a conditional plan under the letter of intent, rather than a purchase order or a completed rollout. The expected service model would give GXO a way to expand through a flexible commercial service.

Work that began with a proof of concept

The partnership started in 2024 with a warehouse proof of concept. GXO says Apollo completed a U.S. pilot in 2026 that focused on autonomous picking of small consumer goods. The partners also collected data and ran live autonomous evaluations across more than 50 logistics tasks at Apptronik's Robot Park training facility. Those earlier activities are distinct from the expanded trials and intended global rollout.

Explore the robot and the use case

RoboHub's Apptronik Apollo catalog record covers the maker's modular humanoid. Browse the humanoid catalog or logistics use cases to explore related robots. For a business requirement, use RoboHub's sourcing form. The planned scope and conditions above come from GXO's official release.