Sector guide  |  Logistics

Warehouse humanoid robots and the UK: the deployments actually happening

Warehouses are where humanoid robots stopped being demos and started clocking in. This guide covers the deployments that have actually been reported, the British company quietly in the race, and what the robots-as-a-service model means for UK logistics operators.

Published 30 September 2026  |  Humanoid Robot Directory

Quick answer

Humanoid robots are working in real warehouses today, but in early, closely managed deployments rather than fleets. The reported landmarks: Agility Robotics' Digit operating in GXO Logistics warehouses under the industry's first humanoid robots-as-a-service agreement, with more than 100,000 totes reported moved; Apptronik's Apollo piloting with Mercedes-Benz and testing with GXO; and Figure's robots at a BMW plant. The UK's own entry is Humanoid, a London-based company whose HMND 01 completed a reported proof of concept with Siemens in early 2026. No humanoid is sold at a UK list price; access runs through commercial RaaS agreements.


The record

The warehouse deployments that have actually been reported

The humanoid industry produces far more videos than deployments, so the directory keeps a short list of the ones with named customers and reported operational detail.

Digit at GXO: the benchmark deployment

Agility Robotics' Digit holds the strongest claim to a real humanoid job. After a 2023 proof-of-concept pilot at a Spanx facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, GXO Logistics and Agility signed what both companies describe as the industry's first formal commercial deployment of humanoid robots, and the first on a robots-as-a-service basis. Digit units move totes from mobile robots onto conveyors, managed through Agility's Arc fleet software, and Agility has reported Digit passing 100,000 totes moved in commercial operation. GXO is a major UK warehouse operator, which makes this agreement the most direct pipeline by which humanoids could plausibly reach British sheds; a UK GXO deployment has not been announced, and we will report it when it is.

Apollo with Mercedes-Benz and GXO

Apptronik's Apollo has reported commercial pilot agreements with Mercedes-Benz, where use cases include bringing parts to the production line and inspecting components, and testing with GXO Logistics in warehouse settings. Apptronik raised capital in February 2026 at a reported 5 billion dollar valuation with participation from Google, as reported by CNBC, and works with Google DeepMind on robot intelligence. Apollo is a purpose-built logistics and manufacturing humanoid, and its trajectory is worth UK attention for the same reason Digit's is: its partners operate British facilities.

Figure at BMW

Figure AI's robots are deployed at a BMW manufacturing facility in the United States performing assembly-related tasks, the most prominent humanoid deployment in manufacturing. Detailed operational metrics have not been published. Our full profile is at Figure AI robot: UK buyer notes.

The British contender: Humanoid and HMND 01

The UK has a genuine entrant. Humanoid, a robotics company based in London, builds the HMND 01, and in January 2026 completed a reported proof of concept with Siemens in industrial logistics. Reported figures from that trial, covered by Interesting Engineering among others, include roughly 60 totes moved per hour, handling of two tote sizes, 30 minutes and longer autonomous runs, and around a 90 percent pick and place success rate. A subsequent reported pilot with automotive supplier Martur Fompak in early 2026 had the wheeled HMND 01 locating pallets and delivering loads of up to about 8 kilograms to a trolley. These are proofs of concept, not rollouts, but they put a British company on the shortlist of humanoid makers with named industrial partners.

And in the UK specifically

Beyond Humanoid's trials, Accenture, Vodafone Procure and Connect and SAP announced a 2026 pilot of humanoid robotics in warehouse operations, and UK logistics trade press follows the category closely. What does not yet exist is a large humanoid fleet running a British warehouse shift. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

Reported warehouse and factory humanoid deployments, September 2026
RobotMakerCustomerStatus as reported
DigitAgility Robotics (US)GXO LogisticsCommercial RaaS deployment; 100,000+ totes reported
ApolloApptronik (US)Mercedes-Benz, GXOCommercial pilots and tests reported
Figure 03Figure AI (US)BMWDeployed at a US manufacturing facility
HMND 01Humanoid (UK)Siemens, Martur FompakProofs of concept reported, early 2026
AtlasBoston Dynamics (US)Hyundai (parent)Factory deployment announced from around 2028

The commercial model

Robots as a service, explained for UK operators

Almost none of the robots above carry a price tag, and that is by design. The emerging commercial model for warehouse humanoids is robots as a service. The operator pays a usage fee, per hour, per shift or per month depending on the contract, while the maker retains ownership of the hardware and responsibility for maintenance, spares and software updates. The GXO and Agility agreement is the reported industry first for humanoids, and the model has obvious logic on both sides: makers keep control of immature hardware in the field and iterate quickly, while operators convert a speculative capital purchase into an operating cost they can benchmark directly against labour.

For a UK logistics director, RaaS changes the evaluation entirely. The hardware specification matters less than the contract: usage minimums, uptime commitments, what happens when a unit fails mid-shift, data ownership over everything the robot sees in your building, notice periods, and who bears the cost when software updates change behaviour. Published UK pricing does not exist for any of these platforms, and reported per-hour figures in trade press are unconfirmed by the makers. Request proposals, compare against fully loaded labour cost per hour, and have a commercial solicitor read the agreement before anything signs.

The strategic question is timing. The reported deployments show humanoids clearing the technical bar in structured tote-moving work, and warehouse labour in the UK is persistently hard to recruit. But the deployments also show the current honest scale: dozens of robots, single sites, heavy vendor involvement. The rational UK posture in 2026 is engaged and unhurried: follow the GXO data, watch the British contender, and open supplier conversations without betting an operation on year-one hardware. Our comparison groundwork is in humanoid robots for warehouse work and the payload comparison, and the rent-or-buy question is covered in humanoid robot hire vs buy.


Sources and honesty

How this page is sourced

Deployment details come from the companies' own announcements and named trade press: the GXO and Agility multi-year RaaS agreement and tote figures from GXO and Agility Robotics announcements and coverage by The Robot Report and DC Velocity; Apollo's Mercedes-Benz and GXO work from Apptronik announcements and CNBC; Figure's BMW deployment from Figure and trade coverage; and HMND 01's Siemens and Martur Fompak trials from company statements reported by Interesting Engineering and Notebookcheck. All figures are reported by those sources, not measured by the directory, and early-stage programmes change. Corrections to hello@humanoidrobotdirectory.co.uk.


Common questions

Common questions about warehouse humanoids

Are humanoid robots working in warehouses today?

Yes, in early commercial deployments that are real but small. The most documented is Agility Robotics' Digit working in GXO Logistics operations under a multi-year robots-as-a-service agreement that began with a pilot at a Spanx facility in Georgia; Agility and GXO have reported Digit moving more than 100,000 totes in commercial operation. Apptronik's Apollo has reported pilots with Mercedes-Benz and tests with GXO, and Figure's robots are deployed at a BMW manufacturing facility. These are reported deployments of dozens of robots, not thousands, and each is closely managed.

Are any humanoid robots being trialled in the UK?

The strongest UK story is Humanoid, a London-based robotics company, whose wheeled HMND 01 completed a reported proof of concept with Siemens in January 2026, with reported figures including around 60 totes moved per hour and a 90 percent pick and place success rate, followed by a reported factory pilot with automotive supplier Martur Fompak. Separately, Accenture, Vodafone Procure and Connect and SAP announced a humanoid robotics warehouse pilot in 2026. Large-scale humanoid fleets are not yet running in UK warehouses, but the UK has genuine skin in the game.

How much does a warehouse humanoid robot cost in the UK?

The honest answer is that the leading warehouse humanoids are not sold at a list price at all. Digit, Apollo and Figure's robots reach customers through commercial agreements, usually on a robots-as-a-service basis where the operator pays a usage fee and the maker retains ownership, maintenance and updates. Published UK pricing does not exist, and any specific figure you see quoted is unconfirmed trade press reporting. UK operators should request commercial proposals directly and compare them against fully loaded labour costs, not sticker prices.


Related guides

Related guides


The humanoid network

Across the network

The directory is the reference point of a wider UK network. For news and reviews, Humanoid Robot UK. For buying routes and prices, Humanoid Robot Shop, including its guide to humanoid robots for business. For rental, demonstrations and events, Humanoid Robot Hire. For availability and deals, Humanoid Sale. For the budget end of the market, Cheap Humanoid. For the care sector, Humanoid Robot Care. And for the robots that already do useful work today, Droid AI and Droidio.

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