What does the Boston Dynamics Stretch do?
Stretch unloads boxes. It uses a vacuum gripper on a mobile base to pull cases off trucks and containers onto conveyors at roughly 800 boxes per hour, handling cases up to 50 lb. Its autonomy is facility-bounded: it works inside mapped docks and warehouses, not the open world.
Key facts
- Form factor
- amr
- Maturity
- commercial
- Verified deployments
- 5
- Maker
- Boston Dynamics
- function
- truck/container unloading and case handling; ~800 boxes/hour; cases up to 50 lb
- formFactor
- amr (mobile case-handling robot: vacuum-gripper arm on an omnidirectional wheeled base)
On the record
Boston Dynamics' footage of its Stretch robot autonomously unloading floor-to-ceiling boxes from a trailer onto a conveyor at a Gap facility. Facility-bounded case-handling autonomy inside a mapped dock and warehouse, not open-world.
The short answer
Stretch does one demanding job well: unloading. It uses a vacuum-gripper arm on an omnidirectional wheeled base to pull cases off the backs of trucks and out of shipping containers and place them onto conveyors, at roughly 800 boxes per hour, with cases up to 50 lb.
What is verified
Per the registry, Boston Dynamics built Stretch for truck and container unloading and case handling. DEPLOY has 5 verified deployments and verified customers including DHL Supply Chain (first commercial deployment, a $15 million pre-order), Performance Team (Maersk), Gap, H&M, NFI ($10 million), and Otto Group (20-plus facilities). Deployment-verified footage shows Stretch autonomously unloading floor-to-ceiling boxes from a trailer onto a conveyor at a Gap facility.
The scope of its autonomy
Be precise about the autonomy. It is real but facility-bounded: Stretch performs case-handling autonomously inside a mapped dock and warehouse, not in an open, unstructured environment. It is a workhorse for a defined indoor task, not a general-purpose robot.
For its identity and how it differs from Spot and Atlas, see what is the Boston Dynamics Stretch.
Frequently asked
How fast is the Boston Dynamics Stretch?
Its registry record lists a throughput of roughly 800 boxes per hour, handling cases up to 50 lb.
Is Stretch fully autonomous?
Its autonomy is facility-bounded. Stretch handles cases autonomously inside a mapped dock and warehouse, not in the open world.
Verified vs claimed
- Verified: Stretch is Boston Dynamics' commercial warehouse robot (a vacuum-gripper arm on an omnidirectional mobile base for truck/container unloading), available for commercial purchase since 2023. Verified customers: DHL Supply Chain ($15M pre-order, first commercial deployment), Performance Team (Maersk), Gap, H&M, NFI ($10M), Otto Group (20+ facilities). ~800 boxes/hr, 50 lb cases.
- No outstanding claims on file.
Split from the registry record. See the verified-vs-claimed framework.
Where it is deployed
5 verified deployments on the registry for the Stretch. Click any marker to open its primary-source record.
Explore the deployment map
See where these robots are verified operating, by place and type.
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