Otto Group and Sereact will put ten AI-run dual-arm robots on returns at an Otto logistics centre in Poland, with 15 more planned if the first results hold up

German retail group Otto Group and Stuttgart robot-software company Sereact said on 28 October that AI-controlled robots will inspect and sort returned orders at one of Otto's logistics centres. The release says: “Initially, ten AI-controlled dual-arm systems will be deployed at Otto Group's logistics center in Poland.” A second phase would add 15 more robotic arms based on the first results. The release does not name the site, give a start date or give a price.

Sereact will operate and maintain the systems under a robotics-as-a-service model. The robots run on Sereact's Cortex model, which is built to handle items it has never seen before without product-specific teaching. The release says Cortex is trained and validated with Nvidia's Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab and Cosmos tools.

Martin Umland, who runs supply-chain management for Otto Group, said: “Returns are notoriously hard to automate, and Physical AI has the potential to change that.” Sereact's chief executive, Ralf Gulde, said: “A robot that only knows yesterday's catalog is of little use in a returns center.”

Returns are one of the costliest jobs in online retail, because every parcel is different. The release mentions a €350m figure, but that is Otto's wider medium-term commitment to technology and AI, not the cost of this project.

• Confirmed Ten AI-controlled dual-arm systems will be deployed first at Otto Group's logistics centre in Poland, operated by Sereact as a service. Otto Group and Sereact, release via The Manila Times
• Claimed A second phase would add 15 more robotic arms based on the first results. Otto Group and Sereact, release via The Manila Times