Rightbot developed a system for unloading trucks and trailers. Source: Rightbot

Truck loading and unloading is a strenuous task, in all kinds of weather, that is ripe for automation. However, competition is stiff. Amazon.com Inc. has acquired Rightbot Technologies Inc., which developed a robot for unstructured load handling.

The companies did not specify the terms of the transaction. Amazon has added a team of Rightbot’s employees to one of its own teams, an Amazon spokesman confirmed to Automated Warehouse.

“We are always evaluating opportunities to create efficiencies in our operations that ultimately benefit our customers and improve the safety of our employees,” he said. “We are excited to bring a group of innovative team members from Rightbot to Amazon’s Robotics Delivery and Packaging Innovation (RDPI) team and look forward to accomplishing much together.”

Rightbot promised to reimagine unloading

Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund led an investment of $4 million into Bergen, N.J.-based Rightbot as it emerged from stealth in 2023. Other backers included SOSV, Walmart’s Flipkart unit, and Entrepreneur First.

“Our technology is not just an incremental improvement, but [also] a radical reimagining of how robotics can enhance operational efficiency in complex environments,” Abhinav Warrier, co-founder and chief technology officer of Rightbot, asserted at the time. “We’re not just developing robots; we’re crafting a new paradigm in handling unstructured loads.”

Newark, N.J.-based Righbot used a suction gripper to move loads that could be varied and unpredictable. The company was an exhibitor at ProMat 2025, but its website was down as of today.

Multiple robot companies try their hand at unloading

Several companies have taken a variety of approaches to automating the loading and unloading of trucks and trailers. Dextrous Robotics shut down in January 2024 after developing a chopstick-like robot.

Slip Robotics has built SlipBot, a mobile platform that unloads an entire trailer at once. Mujin and Honeywell have used a mobile conveyor to reach into a truck to pull out boxes. Most truck-unloading robots use suction cups.

For instance, Boston Dynamics‘ Stretch uses suction cups and is more stable than its Handle predecessor. Gap, DHL, and Lidl are among Stretch’s users, with DHL ordering more than 1,000 robots.

Pickle Robot has also gotten commercial traction, with customers such as UPS and Randa Apparel. UPS plans to spend $120 million for 400 robots from Pickle.

Anyware Robotics said its Pixmo system is easy to deploy, while Contoro Robotics said it uses artificial intelligence and teleoperation for unloading operations.

Beckoff and Dexterity have partnered to develop the two-armed Mech mobile manipulator. In addition, autonomous forklift providers such as Fox Robotics, Humro, and Multiway also offer to load and unload trucks.

The global market for automated truck loading/unloading systems could expand from $3.09 billion in 2024 to $4.31 billion in 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.1%, according to The Business Research Co. Similarly, Straits Research predicted that the market could grow from $3.2 billion in 2024 to $6.8 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 8.9%.

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