FedEx is moving its partnership with robotics company Dexterity from a pilot program into a larger-scale deployment at its Hagerstown, Maryland hub. The expanded collaboration will use Dexterity's dual-armed Mech robots and Foresight world model for trailer loading, with the goal of evaluating how physical AI performs under high-volume operating conditions.
Trailer loading is one of the most physically demanding jobs in parcel logistics, requiring strength, endurance, and constant real-time problem-solving. FedEx loads tens of thousands of trailers daily across its U.S. network, and the process has historically resisted traditional automation. The Hagerstown program will test not just whether the robots can load trailers efficiently, but how they integrate with destination planning, trailer assignment, maintenance, and workforce processes across the broader hub operation.
The deployment builds on several years of joint development and testing between the two companies, according to FedEx and Dexterity. The program will focus on safety, consistency, and performance as the systems scale up significantly from the earlier pilot.
How the technology works
Dexterity's Mech robot is a dual-armed system designed for heavy industrial work while remaining compact enough to operate inside trailers. It runs on Foresight, a world model that combines vision, depth, and touch to predict how robot actions will affect the physical world in real time.
For trailer loading, the system reasons across three spatial dimensions plus time to optimize package placement for space, stability, and speed across a range of operating conditions. The approach differs from traditional automation, which typically relies on fixed sequences rather than adapting to dynamic environments.
"FedEx has a long history of using technology to make our network safer, smarter, and more resilient," said Kawal Preet, FedEx's executive vice president of planning, engineering, and transformation. "This expanded collaboration with Dexterity reflects our commitment to advancing capabilities that improve how we operate today while helping prepare our network for the future. As we continue evaluating and deploying physical AI in real-world environments, we see opportunities to enhance the speed, reliability, and flexibility of our network, creating long-term value for our business and customers."
Physical AI moves from demo to deployment
Dexterity founder and CEO Samir Menon positioned Hagerstown as a milestone for physical AI in logistics. "This technology is not just a future promise; it can perceive, decide, and act in the real world today," he said.
The companies see the Hagerstown deployment as a blueprint for broader network expansion. For operations leaders tracking automation trends, the question is no longer whether physical AI can handle trailer loading in a controlled test - it's whether it can sustain performance at the scale, speed, and reliability that a major parcel network demands. The FedEx program is one of the clearest real-world tests of that question yet. Operations professionals watching this space should pay attention to the safety and consistency data that comes out of Hagerstown, since those metrics will likely determine how quickly this technology spreads to other hubs. For those looking to build familiarity with how AI applies to operational roles, AI for Operations resources and an AI Learning Path for Operations Managers offer structured ways to understand these systems before they arrive at your facility.
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