Robot at the door? That will be the Tesco delivery!

A ROBOT courier service able to delivery groceries in under an hour is being tested out by Tesco.

The vehicles, capable of carrying up to 22lb, travel on pavements and have a maximum speed of just 4mph.

After successfully getting a food order to an address in central London, the supermarket giant is planning a wider trial of robot deliveries as part of its Tesco Now service.

The Daily Mail revealed last month how the same buggies were being used in trials by the parcel delivery service hermes and the takeaway food firm Just eat. They bypass the need for cars, vans and bikes and are a more immediate and practical

‘Monitored from control centre’

solution than the flying drones being tested by Amazon.

The six-wheeled robot buggies, developed by London-based tech firm Starship Technologies, will be able to deliver items within a three-mile radius after picking up orders.

The robots are 22in high and 28in long, and have sensors and cameras which mean they can automatically avoid pedestrians or other obstacles.

They are fitted with GPS tracking and several can be monitored at the same time from a control centre. The human operator can also alert police with the robot’s location if it is targeted by a thief.

A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We are always looking at new ways to improve the shopping experience for our customers.’