Accenture, Vodafone Procurement & Connect, and SAP Launch Humanoid Robot Pilot in Warehouse Operations

## Accenture, Vodafone Procurement & Connect, and SAP Launch Humanoid Robot Pilot in Warehouse Operations

[Hannover, Germany] Accenture has successfully piloted the use of humanoid robots in a warehouse environment, in collaboration with Vodafone Procurement & Connect and SAP. Through this initiative, the companies aim to demonstrate new approaches to workforce planning and business model design by leveraging physical AI to enhance operational efficiency and safety.

Accenture is accelerating the industrial implementation of advanced robotics and physical AI, supporting companies in transitioning AI usage from experimental stages to large-scale practical deployment. In this initiative, Accenture is verifying the evolution of work practices and the creation of new revenue opportunities across various industries brought about by humanoid robots.

This pilot took place at a Vodafone Procurement & Connect warehouse in Duisburg, Germany. The humanoid robots operated alongside existing warehouse systems, receiving instructions for inspection tasks through the SAP Extended Warehouse Management system and conducting autonomous visual inspections throughout the facility.

During the pilot, the robots performed scenario-based verification to identify inefficiencies, safety risks, and optimization opportunities throughout the warehouse operation process. Specifically, the robots identified potential hazards such as misplaced or damaged goods, evaluated pallet loading status and weight distribution, identified empty storage spaces, and detected obstacles in aisles or improperly placed pallets. By linking detection results and recommendations directly to the SAP system, the robots realized real-time visualization and enabled more informed, high-level decision-making.

SAP led the integration of the robots with the warehouse management system, while Accenture leveraged its expertise in physical AI, advanced robotics, and digital twin environments to design and implement the robot intelligence and operational framework.

### Commentary from Christian Souche, Accenture Advanced Robotics Lead
"Equipped with physical AI and trained in a digital twin environment, humanoid robots contribute to reducing accidents such as employee injuries in the warehouse, while also reducing costs associated with overtime and dependence on temporary labor. Furthermore, Vodafone Procurement & Connect can accumulate valuable data and insights regarding robot deployment and performance, aiming to open up a future talent solution business utilizing humanoid robots."

### Commentary from Dr. Lukasz Ostrowski, SAP Head of Embodied AI and Robotics
"Vodafone Procurement & Connect utilizes SAP's AI execution foundation for embodied AI and the interface 'Joule.' This allows robots to connect to the entire business process and logic, enabling them to decide when, why, and how to act. By executing actions based on reliable SAP data, we automate work injury reporting and real-time inventory verification, achieving employee safety and enhanced compliance through auditable, consistent workflows."

### Commentary from Reinhard Stefan Plaza Bartsch, Director of Global Network Logistics, Vodafone Procurement & Connect
"In this pilot project, we are verifying how humanoid robots can improve efficiency, safety, and operational visibility in our warehouse operations. We will examine the potential to expand this initiative across the entire supply chain to support future business models."

### Commentary from Prasad Satyavolu, Accenture Global Lead for Manufacturing, Operations, and Physical AI
"Collaborating with SAP enables the comprehensive utilization of humanoid robots. From simulation and training to deployment in the warehouse and integration with SAP data, we have realized a closed-loop system where the entire process is closely tied to core systems."

The humanoid robots used in this pilot are equipped with Accenture's 'Robot Brain' solution and interact naturally with human operators through voice, movement, and text information. The robots are trained in a digital twin of the warehouse environment built on Accenture's 'Physical AI Orchestrator.' This orchestrator utilizes NVIDIA Omniverse libraries, Mega NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint, and NVIDIA Metropolis libraries. This allows the robots to master new skills through imitation learning and reinforcement learning, rather than being limited to single, repetitive functions.