Robots and drones used by companies like Amazon in their warehouses have caught the attention of many. However, not many companies have ventured into providing robotic services outside these storage areas, in the real world.
Robots and drones used by companies like Amazon in their warehouses have caught the attention of many. However, not many companies have ventured into providing robotic services outside these storage areas, in the real world.
One company that has done it is Starship Technologies. According to the company, the final leg of the process of delivering goods to a customer is the most expensive and inefficient.
“The last couple of miles of delivery are the most costly and least efficient,” said Henry Harris-Burland, Marketing and Communications Manager at Starship Technologies. “Sometimes, the last 2-3 miles can account for 40 percent of the total transportation cost.”
Promoted as the world’s first commercially available autonomous delivery robot, the company claims its robots make the last mile much more efficient for businesses and consumers whilst reducing the cost by as much as 90 percent.
“Our robot has been designed to solve problems,” Harris-Burland said. “The first problem is the last mile inefficiency for businesses. Businesses struggle to increase efficiency in this area of the transportation process, whilst maintaining positive customer satisfaction. Consumers waste time at home during delivery windows, or receive ‘missed parcel’ slips through their door.”
Starship Delivery Robots are designed to deliver ‘on-demand’ so the consumer will never miss a delivery again. The company is aiming to deliver this service for around $1.
“On top of this, many businesses don’t have the resource to offer delivery – it is too expensive and inefficient,” Harris-Burland added. “Using our delivery solution, these businesses now have the opportunity to offer local delivery because the low price.”
Safety
Robot safety has come under scrutiny after the recent incident of a Knightscope robot in a mall running over a toddler. Harris-Burland stressed that Starship’s robots have travelled over 7000 kilometers in 40 cities and 12 countries without a single incident.
“The robots have an obstacle detection system, which ensures they don’t bump into anything,” he said. “It is like a situational awareness bubble around the robot of between 7-10 meters. The robots travel at a very safe speed of around 5 kph on average on sidewalks, and have a stopping distance of around 30cm. The robots are also tracked to the nearest inch using a mixture of GPS and computer vision. All the robots are overseen by human operators who can take control at any time. The robots also have two-way audio so human operators can listen and talk to people around the robot. These theft prevention measures, on top of alarms if the robot is picked up, are strong deterrents to potential thieves and vandals.”
Robots to have a larger role
Starship expects robots to play an increasingly important role in logistics and delivery in the immediate future.
“Robots and their importance in the logistics and delivery industry will grow dramatically over the next 5 years,” Harris-Burland said. “As businesses search for more efficient methods of delivery, and customers become more demanding for convenience, robot delivery is the only logical, cost-efficient solution.”