Technology

Your packages will be delivered soon by small robots

The Swiss Post office and Hermes have teamed up with Starship Technologies. You can test almost completely Autonomous robots. Within a radius of five kilometers to transport the goods in 30 minutes to your destination.

They are knee-high, four-square, and six wheels on the road. This month, the small to the delivery robot to take to the streets in Switzerland and in Germany, and orders directly to the front door.

The idea comes from a partnership between the Swiss Post, a logistics provider, Hermes, and the electronics chain Media Markt with the company “Starship Technologies”. In the Swiss cities of Bern, Köniz and Biberist, as well as in Hamburg and Düsseldorf, the strange six-wheeled robot soon first Dummy will deliver packages and letters.

After a few initial test runs, and the Map of the city, the Hamburg-based company Hermes hopes that by the end of September, the three robots on the streets of Hamburg released. You should initially process requests from registered test customers. At three months the study is scheduled, and is planned to a similar extent also for Düsseldorf. There, the robot will oscillate between Media Markt stores.

“It’s a great idea that we can loss in a day around the clock, robot chicken, the extension without the emissions of deliveries,” says Ingo Bertram, head of corporate communications at Hermes. “Because of the traffic and emission problems are on the increase in many cities in the future. Delivery robots could be more sustainable, however, part of a visionary, delivery concept for packages.”

Hermes stresses, however, that the robot will never do what the human Deliverer. The post you offered never. But with the ability to deliver in 30 minutes, within five kilometers, the battery-powered robot is a good Alternative for customers who are on the road a lot, and was fascinated by the Hamburg-based company.

Better than drones – yet at least

The company Starship Technologies was in Spain by the Skype founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis launched. Your R2D2-Lookalikes have already been tested in more than 42 cities in twelve countries.

Even if the robots are cared for during the study of people – to answer questions – there were so far a total of 8,000 kilometres, have no accident.

A picture says a thousand words… #hugevan #tinypackage #starship solution #starship robots pic.twitter.com/IlJMzSxMlU

— Starship (@Starship Robots) 9. August 2016

And it seems that the people would love you. “You find the robot cute and interesting,” says Bertram as the small Hermes couriers at the end of August were presented. “The people were enthusiastic and wanted to learn more. And they asked us if they could join in on the Test.”

Hermes hopes that the friendly robot continues, and that Autonomous deliveries to move in the future, on six wheels, and thus the drones for the First time. And on Amazon.

“We believe that a robot is on the ground, on the road, currently gets a lot more Public support than a drone,” said Bertram, “because of negative associations, such as insecurity are often associated, an unreliable controllability, and – last but not least – this thing with the weapons.”

But he adds that robots are the better Option, drones in the future, but also for the delivery of parcels in question could come – Hermes.

Small Tanks

The London-based company Starship Technologies prides itself, meanwhile, so that your robot can also be 20-inch-high curbs and snow. In addition, the equipment with nine cameras, an audio system, an Alarm and a PIN Code are furnished. The only the customer knows, so that no one Unauthorized comes to the delivery, or on the way something is lost.

“Until now, there was no theft Attempts or attacks on the robot,” says Starship Marketing and communications Manager, Henry Harris-Burland to the business magazine “The Engineer”. “We have tried, for example, the lid of the robot with the foot to pass through. The only thing then happened: her leg gets stuck and you have to then run with this six-legged thing walk around. Pretty embarrassing.”