Boston Dynamics StretchIIIConditionalCompare

Revealed 2022.04Reassessed 2026.09.02Compare

Boston Dynamics Stretch

Name: Boston Dynamics Stretch
Brand: Boston Dynamics

Mobile-base manipulation arm with a vacuum gripper that unloads floor-loaded trailers and shipping containers and handles cases for palletizing, at hundreds of cases per hour. Sold for commercial purchase; DHL has committed to more than 1,000 units.

No list priceRetail price not tracked

Revealed 2022.04Reassessed 2026.09.02

Autonomy Ladder

Why Level III.

One five-rung scale, every category, from acting only on command to working unsupervised anywhere.

VGeneralized AutonomyAny task, any setting. No consumer robot has reached it.
IVEnvironmental AutonomyCopes with everyday clutter and frees itself, shown by independent testing.
To reach Level IVIndependent testing shows it avoids ordinary obstacles before contact, copes without the space being cleared, and frees itself when stuck.
IIIConditional AutonomyThis robot

Boston Dynamics Stretch finishes whole jobs in a space it already knows, and still needs a person at the edges.

Navigation and control

Mobile base with obstacle avoidance; operator-positioned at the trailer, then operates without pre-programmed routing
Why this level
- Boston Dynamics states the robot makes all decisions in real time, that no pre-programming is required before putting Stretch to work, and that it reacts in real time, detecting and automatically retrieving boxes that shift and fall.
- The documented human role is positioning: an operator opens the trailer door, drives the robot into the trailer, and presses Go, after which Stretch unloads it.
- Operation within a job is therefore unattended, including exception recovery.
- The bounding conditions are that operator-performed setup step at every trailer, and the absence of documented facility-level task assignment or autonomous movement between bays.
4 independent sources reviewed, 6 from the maker
IIAssisted AutonomyRuns preset routines; stalls at anything new.
IManual AutomationOne action on command; no independent operation.

How we assign a level →

Behind the classification

Sources on file.

Provisional4 independent sources reviewed, 6 from the maker

Two to four independent sources reviewed. Gaps remain across source types. The word says how much we read. It is not a grade.

Independent sources reviewed4

Monitoring record4 sources

Sources behind the tracker entries following this robot.

From the maker, reviewed6

Specification sources5 sources

Pages the published specifications were read from.

Monitoring record1 source

Sources behind the tracker entries following this robot.

Boston Dynamics press releaseBoston Dynamics press release

On file, not yet reviewedNot counted

Manufacturer documentation2 sources

Boston Dynamics Stretch product announcements and enterprise partnership case studies

Press & video reviews1 source

Industry coverage of Stretch pilots and deployments in warehouse environments; detailed performance metrics pending

The new Boston Dynamics 'Stretch' robot is a mobile arm built for moving boxes | Popular Sciencepopsci.com

Our own recordNot counted

Longitudinal signal2 sources

Robovations dated log for this robot: 4 tracked entries spanning ~38 months.

How we evaluate evidence →

Human Readiness

Not consumer-ready.

One question: what does buying this robot today walk you into? The state is computed from the record, and recomputed daily.

Not consumer-readyThis robot

Boston Dynamics Stretch ships to commercial and research buyers, not to households.

The readiness scale measures household purchase timing, so no tier applies. A consumer version reaching general availability would start the clock.

On the record

Shipping since April 2022 · 55 months on the market
4 independent sources reviewed, 6 from the maker

The scale, for reference

Ready NowAssessed, with a clean record on file. A successor may be shipping; the page says so when it is.
New to MarketOn sale under 90 days; the ownership record is still forming.
WaitA successor is announced and has not shipped; re-read the decision when it arrives.
Known IssuesDocumented problems stand on the record; read the case before buying.

How we assess readiness →

FIT CHECK

Will the Boston Dynamics Stretch fit your application?

Describe your use case using the controls. Each choice reads the spec sheet for you, flagging where the Boston Dynamics Stretch is built for your space and where it isn’t.

Facility

Workflow

Integration

Operation

A classification of fit for the conditions you set, not a recommendation. Verdicts describe engineering design intent, not test results.

SPECIFICATION

The full spec sheet.

Manufacturer-published figures, measured against every specialty robot we track.

Dimensional drawing

Key specificationsManufacturer-publishedSources: Manufacturer support Product page

FootprintThe width, depth and height of the robot itself, without its dock.: 31 × 48 in, 82 in tall
WeightThe robot alone, without its dock, as the maker states it.: 2,646 lbs
Wi-FiThe bands the robot can join; many models need a 2.4 GHz network to set up.: Supported
Payload: 50 lb•
Degrees of Freedom: 7✓
Max speed: 6.7 mph•
Reach: 126 in•

Where it lands · position among 46 specialty robotsThis robotMedianTypical range

RuntimeThe maker's stated running time on one charge, at a standard setting.960min

30 min1,080 min

Above median

WeightThe robot alone, without its dock, as the maker states it.2,646lbs

0.09 lbs131.59+ lbs

Top of range

Position shows where the figure sits across the tracked category, not a quality judgment.

Official referencesManufacturer support Product page

RECORD

How the assessment has moved.

Every announcement, release and reassessment behind the current classification.

Coming soon

Just launched

Active updates

Settled

Discontinued

Oct 2026 · AssessmentPre-Release Assessment method revised
Aug 2026 · AssessmentAutonomy Ladder reclassified II → III
May 2025 · NewsDHL Group signs deal with Boston Dynamics for 1,000 more Stretch robots
Mar 2024 · NewsDHL expands Stretch fleet deployment across North American distribution centers
Jan 2023 · NewsDHL Supply Chain becomes first customer to deploy Boston Dynamics’ Stretch
Mar 2022 · ReleaseBoston Dynamics opens Stretch warehouse robot to commercial purchase

Questions

What people actually ask.

5 answered

OperationCan consumers or small businesses purchase Stretch?

Stretch is sold for commercial purchase and is bought by warehouse and logistics operators; DHL has committed to more than 1,000 units. It is not a consumer product, and Boston Dynamics does not publish list pricing or offer consumer support.

OperationWhat is Stretch's primary task?

Unloading floor-loaded trailers and shipping containers, plus case handling and palletizing. Boston Dynamics states it handles packaging from standard brown to highly graphical, up to 50 lb. It does not do bin picking, meaning retrieval of individual items from totes.

OperationDoes Stretch operate fully autonomously?

Boston Dynamics states the robot makes all decisions in real time and that no pre-programming is required before putting it to work, and that it detects and automatically retrieves boxes that shift and fall. The documented human role is positioning: an operator opens the trailer door, drives Stretch inside, and presses Go, after which it unloads the trailer. Movement between bays and facility-level task assignment are not documented as autonomous.

OperationHow long has Stretch been in commercial deployment?

Stretch launched in 2022 and has since been announced as available for commercial purchase. DHL has committed to more than 1,000 units, with deployments running in the UK and Europe. Per-unit uptime and long-term reliability data remain proprietary.

OwnershipWhat is the typical operating cost per case for Stretch?

Boston Dynamics publishes no pricing and no cost-per-case figure. The published performance metric is throughput: Boston Dynamics states hundreds of cases per hour, and DHL has measured up to 700 cases per hour in deployment. Cost per case depends on that rate against purchase and integration costs neither party has published.

Cite & Embed

Reference the Boston Dynamics Stretch classification.

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Citation

Robovations. "Boston Dynamics Stretch: Autonomy Level III (Conditional Autonomy)." Autonomy Ladder™, assessed September 2026. https://robovations.com/robots/boston-dynamics-stretch/

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A classification, not an endorsement. It may not appear beside language implying Robovations recommends, rates, or approves the product.

Where to next

Three ways to keep going.

For evaluators

Compare with a peer.

See the Boston Dynamics Stretch and Unitree A2 side by side: autonomy level, Robovations Score, readiness, and price. Classification, not a verdict.

See the full comparison

Or compare with Boston Dynamics Spot, Pudu BellaBot Pro, Pudu BellaBot.

For browsers

See every Level III.

Every robot we’ve classified at conditional autonomy. Sorted by readiness, score, and price. Filter by category, manufacturer, or release date.

Browse every Level III robot

Updated weekly with new entries and reclassifications.