Engineering news
Starship Technologies, a company launched by the former co-founders of Skype, has begun its first live trials of self-driving delivery robots in London.
Throughout the next six months, the robots will be visiting towns and cities across the UK, culminating with the launch of pilot delivery services later this year.
The six wheeled intelligent robot will make its debut in Greenwich after talks with the local authority led to a partnership with the firm, making Greenwich the first location in the UK to experience the delivery system.
First launched in November 2015, the robot is designed for local delivery of goods and groceries for consumers for under £1 per shipment. The robots use pavements like pedestrians, travelling at slow speeds and with zero emissions. The public introduction programme aims to demonstrate how easily the curbside robots can integrate into human life.
Capable of carrying the equivalent of two grocery bags, the robots can complete local deliveries within 5-30 minutes from a local hub or retail outlet. Starship Technologies has said this can be done for 10-15 times less than the cost of current last-mile delivery alternatives.
Customers can choose from a selection of short, precise delivery slots that suit them. During delivery, shoppers can track the robot’s location in real time through a mobile app and on arrival only the app holder is able to unlock the cargo. Integrated navigation and obstacle avoidance software enables the robots to drive autonomously, but they are also overseen remotely by human operators who can step in to ensure safety, which could come in handy if pedestrians attempt to harm the robots.
The company said the UK has been chosen for this work because of the government’s clear commitment to autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, making the country a world leader in this new and ground-breaking technology.
“Our robots are a totally new class of devices that will provide a combination of low cost and convenience with less congested streets and zero emissions,” said Ahti Heinla, CEO at Starship Technologies. “The robot has been in development for almost two years, and we’ve experienced unprecedented levels of interest and goodwill – so it’s great to now be taking the first step to rolling our little robot out for real. The robot has been very well-received by pedestrians in all of the interactions we’ve seen so far, so it’s very exciting to be officially introducing the robot to the British public.”
Denise Hyland, leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “This technology has the potential to transform the local delivery of goods and groceries. The trial complements the work being undertaken by the Royal Borough of Greenwich on smart city innovation – work that we believe will be significant for all cities in the future.”
Starship Technologies is planning to launch similar testing programmes in the United States in April and plans to unveil the first pilot services in cooperation with its service partners in the UK later this year.