The end of the courier? Self-driving 'ground drones' are heading to London to make deliveries across the capital
The end of the courier?
Self-driving 'ground drones' are heading to London to make deliveries across
the capital
·
Starship Technologies' robot can
carry out a delivery in just 30 minutes
·
The boxy drone can 'walk' at 4mph, cross the
road and avoid obstacles
·
The battery-powered bot is going to start
delivery trials in Greenwich
·
If anybody tries to snatch it, it alerts an
operator and takes images of a thief
·
·
The
iconic mopeds of delivery drivers everywhere are set to be ousted by 'ground
drones' that can navigate city streets by themselves.
After
more than 3,000 hours of testing in London, Starship Technologies' delivery
bots are scheduled to start local deliveries in Greenwich next month.
MailOnline
tested the unnamed robots at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The robot
was invented by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis who hope their
machine will be appealing for small businesses who could send up to 20lbs of
goods to local customers.
Unlike
robots designed to resemble humans, the Starship’s bot is purely functional
with a large compartment to hold deliveries, the equivalent size of two grocery
bags.
·
Each
six-wheeled 'ground drone' is almost completely self-driving. It is
constantly connected to the internet, using 3G technology to find its way to
the customer's address.
Walking
on the pavement at about 4mph (3km/h), robots can complete local deliveries
within five to 30 minutes from a local hub or retail outlet.
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Walking
on the pavement at about 4mph (3km/h), robots can complete local deliveries
within five to 30 minutes from a local hub or retail outlet. The bot's
'cargo trunk' (pictured) is sealed throughout the trip and only the customer
can open it using a specific app upon the drone's arrival
+5
After
more than 3,000 hours of testing in London, Starship Technologies' delivery
bots (pictured) are scheduled to start deliveries in Greenwich next
month. Each six-wheeled 'ground drone' is almost completely self-driving.
It is constantly connected to the web, using 3G technology to find its way to
addresses
The
scheme also costs between 10 to 15 times less than the cost of current
last-mile delivery alternatives, Starship claims.
Keith
Cornell, Senior Adviser at Starship told MailOnline: 'Trials will be in 14
cities if we get permission from councils.
Greenwich
council has already given us permission and this will be the launch location
with robots arriving' next month'.
HOW THE
GROUND-DRONE WORKS
Unlike robots designed to resemble humans, the Starship’s bot is
purely functional with a large compartment to hold deliveries, the equivalent
size of two grocery bags.
Each six-wheeled 'ground drone' is almost completely
self-driving. It is constantly connected to the internet, using 3G technology
to find its way to the customer's address.
Walking on the pavement at about 4mph (3km/h), robots can complete
local deliveries within five to 30 minutes from a local hub or retail
outlet.
The scheme also costs between 10 to 15 times less than the cost of
current last-mile delivery alternatives, Starship claims.
Integrated navigation and 'obstacle avoidance software' enable the
robots to steer clear of pedestrians or to jump over kerbs and cobbles, for
example.
He
explained that by the end of the year it's hoped the robots will be 98 per cent
autonomous.
'It's the
last two per cent that's expensive,' he added.
So
instead, the company plans on having a human operator in charge of 100 bots in
case they run into trouble, for example.
He
confirmed the firm has retail partners lined up - 'names you'll recognise' -
but these are currently under wraps.
'Demand
is not an issue,' he continued.
'The
robot's designed to make life easier, so people might still go to the shops to
buy flowers, for example, but could use them to carry heavy items such as
potatoes home.
Integrated
navigation and 'obstacle avoidance software' enable the robots to steer clear
of pedestrians or to jump over kerbs and cobbles, for example.
However,
human operators are ready to step in if an emergency should arise.
This
includes if someone tries to steal the bot.
If a
thief attempts to tamper with the robot, or snatch it, the operator can take
over - talking directly to the wrongdoer and sending police to the drone's
location.
The
drone's nine cameras can also capture the criminal's face.
In any
case, the bot's 'cargo trunk' is sealed throughout the trip- only the customer
can open it using a specific app upon the drone's arrival.
The app
will also allow shoppers to track the robot's location in real time.
One of
Starship's main selling points is the battery-powered bot's zero direct CO2
emission, as opposed to the pollution brought about but too many, short
shopping car trips.
'Our
vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero
environmental impact,' said Heinla, boss at Starship Technologies.
'We want
to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.'
ROBOT'S
ANTI-THEFT MEASURES
If a thief attempts to tamper with the robot, or snatch it, a
human operator can take over- talking directly to the wrongdoer and sending
police to the drone's location.
The drone's nine cameras can also capture the criminal's face.
In any case, the bot's 'cargo trunk' is sealed throughout the
trip- only the customer can open it using a specific app upon the drone's
arrival.
The app will also allow shoppers to track the robot's location in
real time.
For
businesses, Starship's technology eliminates the largest inefficiency in the
delivery chain, the last mile.
Instead
of expensive and time-consuming door-to-door delivery, retailers can ship the
goods in bulk to a local hub, then the robot fleet completes the delivery to
the shopper's door for a fraction of the cost.
'With
ecommerce continuing to grow consumers expect to have more convenient options
for delivery – but at a cost that suits them,' Heinla said.
'The last
few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost.'
The
Greenwich program will show whether the future of delivery will really have the
shape of these robo-buggies.
The trial
is part of the €25 million EU 'Smart Cities' project, which experiments with
new technologies to impoverish people's lives.
The debut
follows months of technical testing all around London
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