Starship Technologies wants to deliver your groceries with robots
Six-wheeled robots could be delivering groceries to shoppers in the UK within the next six months. Starship Technologies, a company set up by two of the co-founders of Skype, is building up fleets of robots that can deliver goods within 30 minutes.
A pilot of the robotic delivery scheme is due to start in the UK, and a testing program will start in the US in April. The aim of the self-driving robots is not just to speed up deliveries, but also to keep costs to a minimum. The zero-emissions units also boast environmentally-friendly credentials.
The UK government's support for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles is part of the reason for choosing Greenwich as the launchpad for the delivery scheme. As well as showing off the capabilities of the robots, the pilot scheme will also serve to demonstrate how the vehicles can integrate into public life. Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship Technologies is looking forward to the launch:
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:
I am delighted that The Royal Borough of Greenwich has been chosen as the first location in the UK to trial this revolutionary delivery system, and that Starship Technologies has chosen to base their UK offices in Greenwich. 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.
Check out the video below to see the robots in action:
Find out more at the Starship Technologies website.