A delivery robot is an autonomous robotic vehicle that provides last mile delivery services. A human operator may remotely control the robot to avoid obstacles and monitor its performance, and he or she may even take over in certain situations. In other cases, the robot might be unable to solve an obstacle by itself. For these reasons, a human operator will be necessary to ensure the safety of the delivery. Here are the benefits of using a delivery robot for last mile delivery services.
Starship Deliveries
The startup Starship Deliveries is a package delivery service that is based on the Grubhub application. Users don’t need to download a separate app and simply choose what food they want and drop a pin where they want the delivery robot to deliver it. The robot will follow a set route on a map, and users can track its progress through the app. The delivery typically takes a few minutes, depending on distance.
The company operates autonomous robots that deliver items around a three-mile radius. They’re able to deliver groceries, pizza from restaurant chains, and drinks. These robots are designed to be fully autonomous, but they’re still supervised by humans when they encounter obstacles. Rather than charging consumers per shipment, Starship makes money through a delivery fee that’s a small percentage of the value of the items they deliver.
FedEx on demand
A robotic delivery bot, known as a SameDay Bot, is now in development by FedEx. This robot will autonomously deliver packages for retailers, especially those in the last mile of their delivery routes. Customers can place their orders online and the same-day bot will automatically deliver the product to their doorstep. The company has already teamed up with several big-name retailers to test the robot. It is being developed in partnership with DEKA Development & Research Corp., a firm based in Manchester.
In an interview with NBC, the CEO of FedEx said that the company is working on the development of the bot with DEKA Research and Development. The company is founded by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway and iBot. The robot will have cameras and speakers for navigation and cameras for detecting pedestrians. The robot will also have sensors to recognize when it encounters obstacles and other types of objects, such as trees and mailboxes.
Eliport
A Barcelona-based robotics startup is developing autonomous ground vehicles, which would pick up and deliver cargo without the need for human intervention. Designed to navigate urban areas at walking speed, Eliport would load cargo at a central hub, access 3D maps, and deliver the goods to customers. They would avoid obstacles and pedestrians, and could travel up to sixteen miles on a single charge. If successful, Eliport could provide a cost-effective, reliable delivery service for urban areas.
The company says that its delivery robots will have GPS-guided navigation, as well as a 3D map of the neighborhood. Once they arrive, they will automatically transfer the cargo into a secure container, where the recipient can pick it up. The robots will use sensors to detect obstacles and avoid collisions. LiDAR, radar, and video cameras will help the delivery robots avoid traffic and other obstacles. Eliport expects its robots to run for up to 25 kilometers (16 miles) on a single charge. The company is also planning to install chargers at pick-up and drop-off points.
Starship Technology
Unlike human delivery workers, Starship Technology’s autonomous robots can make local deliveries in just minutes. They have made more than two million deliveries and traveled millions of miles. Starship’s robots are monitored by humans to ensure they’re doing everything they’re supposed to. The company was founded by the same team that created Skype, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Alstair Westgarth is the CEO of Starship Technology.
This company recently announced that it has raised $42 million for its robotic delivery service, which will expand in Europe. The company has begun sending its robots to corporate and college campuses, where their costs are more manageable. In the future, campus delivery will have different economics than city delivery, so Starship may focus on this type of delivery. Its goal is to help people avoid paying for parking space and having to walk to pick up their packages.