Autonomous delivery robots are self-driving robots that are designed to deliver packages, goods, and food to customers. The robots are designed with a special combination of sensors, such as cameras, LIDAR, and GPS for navigating the environment and avoiding obstacles.
The delivery robots are equipped with a secure storage compartment for protecting the delivery during transit. However, autonomous delivery robots are associated with some challenges such as safety, reliability, and public acceptance. To overcome such challenges, companies are focused on developing advanced technologies and working with local governments for establishing regulations and guidelines for autonomous delivery robots.
Some of the advantages of autonomous delivery robots are:-
- Increased efficiency: Packages can be delivered faster and more accurately than human delivery drivers and operate 24/7 without breaks.
- Lower costs: It helps in reducing delivery costs by eliminating the need for human delivery drivers and the maintenance cost of the delivery vehicles.
- Improved customer experience: It provides a more convenient delivery experience for customers that can deliver packages to specific locations, such as a porch or a driveway, rather than leaving them at the front door.
Several companies are involved in developing and deploying autonomous delivery robots in various applications, such as last-mile delivery, campus delivery, and warehouse delivery.
Some of the notable companies are:-
- Starship Technologies– It was founded in 2014 and is a European company developing and operating autonomous delivery robots for last-mile delivery. The robots are deployed in several countries and are in major partnerships with major delivery and logistics companies such as DHL and Postmates.
- Nuro– It is an American company specializing in autonomous delivery robots. It is designed specifically for last-mile delivery and has been deployed in various cities in the United States. Nuro is in partnerships with major retailers such as Domino’s Pizza and CVS Pharmacy for delivering products using Nuro’s robots.
- Marble– An American company providing autonomous delivery solutions to various applications such as last-mile delivery, campus delivery, and warehouse delivery. The company is in partnership with major delivery and logistics companies such as Pstmates and FedEx for delivering the products using Marble’s robots.
- Boxbot– An American company providing autonomous delivery solutions for last-mile delivery. The company is in partnerships with major retailers, such as Walmart, and Target for delivering the products.