Operator

An operator is the entity that actually runs a robot or vehicle in the field, taking the commercial and operational responsibility for it. The operator may or may not be the same entity as the manufacturer. Waymo operates Waymo's vehicles; Tesla operates Tesla's robotaxis; but GXO operates Apptronik's Apollo robots in GXO warehouses, where Apptronik is the manufacturer and GXO is the operator.

The registry tracks operator and manufacturer separately on each deployment for this reason. Coverage analyses, category pages, and incident attributions distinguish accordingly.