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Robots: Autonomous Robots Carrying Groceries Home Over the Last Mile
The next generation of home-delivery groceries may be made by robots. While Amazon and Walmart are testing flying drones for delivery, a new company called Starships Technologies, is launching a land-based robot pickup and delivery service. The company has developed a six-wheeled self-driving robot capable of carrying up to 40 pounds or about two grocery bags that would be able to move along sidewalks. Starship is the idea of Skype’s cofounders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis.
Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship, said that “Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact… The robot has sensors and cameras to help it navigate its way around the streets. Much like a human would sense potential collisions and velocity of moving objects, it detects obstacles and halts at any sign of interference… The robots will cross the streets much like the humans do: stop, look both ways, and wait until it is safe to cross. The robot can recognize approaching cars with its sensor suite from 100-200 metres and will cross the streets only in locations with great visibility… Currently the biggest problem the logistics companies have is with last-mile delivery. When the van is stopping every couple of minutes to knock on another door, this is the biggest source of inefficiency… Our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.”
Peter Hart, artificial intelligence specialist, said that after earlier attempts of similar technologies that “artificial intelligence and robotics went their separate ways. [But] what we are seeing now is a long overdue convergence of the two fields.”
Initial trials of Starship are scheduled for 2016 in Greenwich, London.
