Delivery drivers in the UK,
Germany, and Switzerland are getting a makeover. London-based Starship
Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods
locally.
Initial partners—European food
delivery company Just Eat, German parcel delivery service Hermes, German
retailer Metro Group, and London food delivery start-up Pronto—will test
roaming robots in five cities.
"These partners we're
working with are at the top of their game—passionate, driven and quick to
embrace new technology, making them the perfect choice for us to truly
demonstrate our robotic delivery solution," Starship COO Allan Martinson
said in a statement.
Capable of transmitting packages,
groceries, and food orders to folks in a two- to three-mile radius, the
autonomous androids are monitored by humans, who can take control at any time.
Launched in 2014 by Skype
co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship's robots were introduced to
European and American cities late last year. The self-driving machines have
already traveled close to 5,000 miles and met more than 40,000 people—without a
single accident, the company boasted.
The friendly appliance—which
looks like a high-tech cooler on six wheels—can detect pedestrians, steer clear
of bicyclists, and remains securely closed until reaching its destination.
"Nobody likes to spend hours
waiting for the courier just to have a parcel delivered," said Frank
Rausch, CEO of Hermes Germany. "Therefore, individually scheduled delivery
services will become increasingly important within the coming years."
We hope to see the streets lined
with thousands of these robots bringing people their … meal on-demand and
providing an even more cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly
delivery solution for our customers," Pronto CEO James Roy Poulter added.
Test programs will first run in
London, Düsseldorf, Bern, and another German city, before moving to several
other European and American locations.
"We're sure to come up
against challenges on our journey, but our aim will never change—to re-define
convenience and customer service for the consumer, whilst making the last mile
industry for businesses cost effective, efficient and profitable,"
Martinson said.
Source:
pcmag.com
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