Automated deliveries come down to earth
- Tom Henry
- Nov 3, 2015
- 1 min read
You've heard about parcels being delivered by drones flying through the air, but with public safety concerns, where else can robots deliver by? On the ground.
Formed by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies has introduced a robot that can deliver local groceries in under 30 minutes. The Starship robot dives on the pavement and uses its own navigation technology to avoid any obstacles.
They will operate from special shipping containers in grocery shops or warehouses, and they can be driven manually if necessary.
Although, with an average speed of 4 mph, the robot is limited to delivering locally, which doesn't really make it a competitor with Amazon Prime Air or Google X’s Project Wing, unless you live near a warehouse. Another problem is that couldn't someone just steal the robot and it's contents? The Starship does need an app to open the robot and receive the contents but is that enough, even with GPS and cameras, to stop a robber stealing the Starship?
Overall, this is a step in the right direction, even if it is short range and particularly vulnerable.
Via: | The Telegraph | | Engadget |
Source: | Starship |
Comments