• MILITARY: Brazil-France submarine programme (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 15:00GMT)
  • SPACE: Calls for protected moon sites (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 16:00GMT)
  • ACCIDENT: Why did Baltimore bridge collapse? (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 17:30GMT)
  • For full details of graphics available/in preparation, see Menu -> Planners
Graphic looks at the major players trying to develop reliable delivery robots.
GN40400EN

TECH

Robotic deliveries – a blueprint for the future

By Ninian Carter

July 28, 2020 - One of the fastest growth areas in robotics is the business of delivering goods. Several tech firms, including Amazon, are trialling their own technologies.

The next “big thing” in robotics is the delivery of goods – primarily parcels and food deliveries to urban homes.

Tech firms are pouring millions of dollars into several different approaches, such as sidewalk-driving buggies, self-driving street robots and even humanoid machines that can climb stairs.

But these are not the fanciful musings of over-eager boffins. Major companies like Amazon, Domino's, Ford, PepsiCo and Walmart are investing in this futuristic foray.

Currently several cities around the world and university campuses in the United States are guinea pigs to robot deliveries ranging from Amazon parcels to Pepsi drinks and snacks.

In most cases, customers order goods using a smartphone app. A robot then arrives outside their front door, at the prescribed time, and is unlocked using the app or a code. The customer simply retrieves their goods, closes the door, and the robot moves on to the next customer.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 28/07/2020; STORY: Graphic News
Advertisement