The delivery robot provides last-mile delivery services. The delivery robot is operated remotely by an operator who may have to supervise or take over if it runs into an obstacle. In addition to delivering packages, the delivery robot can also deliver newspapers or other items. But the biggest question about delivery robots is how they’ll keep our streets safe. Here’s a closer look at the technology behind delivery robots. Hopefully this article will answer that question.
Starship Deliveries
The company is gaining momentum after announcing plans to expand its operations beyond California. The company, which has a strong presence on campus at Stanford, recently announced that it will launch a grocery delivery service in Mountain View, California, starting next month. In the meantime, they are expanding to other U.S. cities, including Irvine and Washington, D.C., and plan to add more cities to their service areas in the coming weeks.
Subscribers will pay $10 a month for unlimited deliveries. Initially, there will be no separate phone application, but consumers will receive notifications when their packages arrive. Customers can also specify a time and location for delivery and track the robot’s progress. Delivery time is typically less than two hours depending on the distance between the depot and the customer’s location. The company is also planning to add a track feature to its app to allow subscribers to see how far the robot has traveled.
Amazon Scout
Amazon is experimenting with a new robotic delivery robot called Scout. The device can follow a predetermined route and navigate around pedestrians, pets and other obstacles. Scout can be ordered for delivery on the Prime website, but it will only work during the day, and will only be available to Prime members. For the moment, it will be limited to deliveries in certain cities, but there are hopes for the future. Let’s take a look at the Scout’s development.
The Amazon Scout is a small, six-wheeled delivery pod that is expected to drop off packages at a central drop-off point. Large “cargo” vehicles can drop off the robots. The Scout concept has potential, but it also faces a lot of roadblocks. For example, it may not be safe for deliveries near busy roads. For now, the Scout will be trialled in Snohomish County, which is north of Seattle.
FedEx’s Scout
A pilot program of driverless robot delivery by FedEx will help the company evaluate various uses for the Scout delivery robot. This will include multiple stop deliveries and appointment-based delivery. This program highlights several limitations of the in-the-last-mile parcel delivery business, as robots are limited to carrying a small number of packages. Robots would need to be programmed to sort through boxes before they can deliver to a customer.
A battery-powered robotic vehicle with a cooler-like appearance, the Scout will be able to navigate steps and unpaved surfaces without human intervention. The prototype will be tested in Memphis before it’s commercialized. It will then be refined to meet safety standards. It will be used in small delivery jobs and will be capable of reaching homes and offices. While the bot may not be able to deliver packages that require a signature, it is close to reaching that milestone.
Uber’s HitchBOT
Earlier this month, an article in Scientific American explained how a delivery robot called the HitchBOT navigates the streets and can even be antagonized by human drivers. The hitchBOT, a humanoid robot, has been traveling around Canada and Europe and has even crashed a wedding. Its interactive voice technology makes it easy to communicate with people. Its creators, a company based in Ontario, developed the robot to study how humans interact with technology.
The robot’s back seat can hold food orders and has a human operator to operate it remotely. The company’s robots are capable of Level 4 autonomy and will need a human operator in some uses, though. If this technology is successful, Uber’s profit margins will likely increase. In the short term, though, robots will make up a small proportion of deliveries compared to human drivers.