ORLANDO, Fla. — The United States Postal Service is hoping to meet holiday shipping demands with the help of a full force of postal workers — and fleets of robots.

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Postal Service has implemented fleets of robots to help meet increasing shipping demands

  • Sorting facilities in Orlando and Tampa are among the first in the nation to use the robots

  • They can help process up to 3,500 packages a day during non-peak times, one manager says

Sorting facilities in Orlando and Tampa are among the first in the nation to use autonomous mobile robots to help sort packages.

Alicia Lake, executive plant manager with the USPS in Orlando, said the robots can help process up to 3,500 packages a day during non-peak times.

This is a critical resource during peak holiday times too, she said.

“Our focus is making sure every package makes it home before Christmas, that’s our main focus,” Lake said. “Every piece, right down to Christmas Eve.”

WATCH: See the full story in the video player on how robots are helping to speed up USPS package delivery.

 

Workers scan packages, which tell the computer where to direct the robots to place them. Once sorted into bins, workers help get packages to their final destination.

USPS first launched a pilot program in 2018 using robots to help reduce work hours and increase processing efficiencies. 

The program is a part of the USPS’ 10-year, $40 billion “Delivering for America” investment program.

The spending includes $20 billion for facility and equipment upgrades; $19 billion in upgrading post office retail space and new Next Generation Delivery Vehicle fleet; and $2 billion in overall IT technology upgrades.