We may now be nearing the point where humanoid robots are no longer just clumsy curiosities, but genuine candidates — if not outright replacements — for human jobs.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, two bipedal helpers, built by Agility Robotics, are currently moving bins around in a busy warehouse in Georgia. Dropped right into an environment designed for humans, the robots bend over to pick up the containers, then amble over to a nearby conveyor belt to drop them off. Rinse and repeat.

Of course, there’s still considerable work to be done; only two of these “Digit” robots are being used at the warehouse, operated by GXO Logistics, and are trusted only with simple tasks. But the industry argues that the robots are spearheading an imminent paradigm shift in automation: because of their human shape and function, such machines have the potential to be far more versatile than the purpose-built bots that have already automated some human jobs, able to slot into existing workplaces.

“Humanoid robots are the first category of robots that can be doing completely different tasks based on the needs of the business or the time of the shift,” Adrian Stoch, chief automation officer of GXO, told WSJ. “In the future, we could have Digit unloading a trailer in the morning, picking goods in the afternoon, and loading trucks in the evening.”

Companies like Amazon have been experimenting with roaming robotic arms and automated inventory management systems at its numerous warehouses. But these are purpose-built bots, performing only a single type of task, often requiring a more tailor-made environment to work in.

In theory, a versatile humanoid wouldn’t be deterred by having to navigate stairs, or to grab stuff from a low or high shelf, or to sort through a box. And once they finish their job, the bots could be put to work elsewhere, ensuring that not a single second is wasted. That productivity boost could help offset the daunting costs of adopting the experimental technology — costs that the over a dozen humanoid robotics companies around the world are keeping under wraps, according to the WSJ.

“The challenge for robotics has always been the economics,” Jeff Cardenas, CEO of the humanoid robotics startup Apptronik, told the newspaper.

Accelerating the timeline towards laboring humanoids, the robotics push has dovetailed serendipitously with the AI boom, bringing advances in the “brains” that power the machines. This, to AI leaders like Nvidia, is a ripe opportunity to double dip.

“We believe the enabling technology for autonomous robots is the same technology that’s behind all the things we’re doing with AI and with large language models,” Rev Lebaredian, head of Nvidia Omniverse, the chipmaker’s real-world simulation platform, told the WSJ.

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