Robo-Postie!
It’s not scared of dogs and won’t go on strike at Xmas
MEET the postman who won’t run away if there’s a barking dog in the garden.
This nifty little robot, which is being tested on the streets of Britain, could be the future of home delivery.
The self- driving machine, capable of carrying small packages weighing up to 22lb, will initially deliver items to addresses in central London for the courier company Hermes.
They bypass the need for cars, vans and bikes and are a more immediate and practical solution than the drones being tested by Amazon.
The autonomous vehicles travel on pavements and have a maximum speed of 4mph. At 22in high and 27in long, they are armed with sensors which mean they come to a halt rather than hit any pedestrians, stray cats or worrisome dogs.
They are fitted with GPS tracking and several can be followed and controlled at the same time by a single person sitting in a control centre. Each robot, which is connected to the internet, is fitted with a speaker and cameras.
For those thinking they sound like a sitting duck for thieves, the makers say a siren will go off if someone tries to pick it up, while a human operator at headquarters can alert the authorities.
The vehicles have been developed by tech firm Starship Technologies, which has its business headquarters in London and engineering base in Estonia. The company’s founders are Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who were the co-founders of the Skype internet video calling service.
They have floated the idea of every family having their own delivery ‘bot’ that will be sent out on errands to collect grocery, parcels or takeaways.
Hermes is using the robots to test a number of parcel collections in the London borough of Southwark. There have already been trials for takeaway food delivery with the company Just Eat. Deliveries have taken place involving ten restaurants in Greenwich and the firm is looking to expand to other postcodes in London this year.
The firm’s ultimate ambition is to have a fleet of robots across multiple neighbourhoods in Britain.
Initially, the Hermes trial will allow the delivery firm to offer limited 30-minute time slots for the collection of parcels, either for items being returned to retailers, or for items being sent by small businesses or consumers via myHermes.
A spokesman for the firm said: ‘Each vehicle incorporates a secured compartment where parcels can be transported, accessible to consumers via a link generated by a smartphone app.’
Mr Heinla of Starship Technologies said the fact no couriers are needed for the final leg of a delivery means firms can make huge savings. He added: ‘We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.’
‘Every family could have one’