Robots edge closer to unloading trucks in Amazon-era milestone

A FedEx Corp. employee sorts packages for delivery in the Midtown neighborhood of New York, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015. FedEx Corp. is scheduled to release earnings figures on December 16. Photographer: John Taggart/Bloomberg

As FedEx Corp and United Parcel Service Inc beef up automation to keep pace with surging e-commerce and a potential threat from Amazon.com Inc, they’ve been stumped at a crucial stage: loading and unloading trucks. 

Robot makers are getting close to solving part of that puzzle.