All over the world, robots have started shipping packages and pizza for .
, a express robot developed by a company stationed in Haidian District, Beijing, has been tested and debugged by 7,000 kilometers of roads in Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun Intelligent Manufacturing Street, and multiple closed communities. It has achieved small-scale mass production and is expected to be put into use in some communities in Beijing in June this year.
In Germany and the Netherlands, Domino’s Pizza has used a small number of Starship robots to perform fast food delivery tasks.
These six-wheeled robots can travel up to 4 miles per hour and carry about 10 kilograms of cargo. They use 3G technology to find routes on the streets, and once the robot arrives, customers can open the lid through the App to pick up the items.
Currently, this scenario also occurs in the UK, Italy, South Korea, the United States, etc. Delivery robots of various shapes can be used on sidewalks or bicycle lanes to deliver packages to people.
McKinsey Consulting predicts that 80% of the packages will be delivered by robots in less than 10 years.
How to deliver the goods?
China is at the forefront of the world in terms of unmanned delivery.
As early as June 18, 2017, JD.com's unmanned delivery vehicle completed its first order at Renmin University of China. It is reported that JD unmanned vehicles are divided into two types. Small unmanned vehicles can be delivered with 5 pieces of express delivery, which can deliver 10-20 orders per day, and can last 20 kilometers per charge; large unmanned vehicles can deliver 6 pieces of express delivery at a time, which can deliver 10-20 orders per day, and can last 80 kilometers per charge.
When the user places an order, JD unmanned vehicles can automatically navigate and drive according to the established route, and have functions such as path planning, intelligent obstacle avoidance, lane keeping, and intelligent follow-up. After arriving at the destination, the unmanned vehicle will send a text message to inform the consumer of the pickup password and remind the pickup.
European delivery robot manufacturer Starship Technologies has also developed a similar robot, which is designed to allow it to move slowly on the sidewalks of towns.
According to Starship co-founder Ahti Heinla, the robot they developed has been tested in 100 cities and has been around 12 million people.
Currently, Starship has deployed about 100 robots in eight cities in Europe and the United States. Starship rents robots to businesses and charges shipping fees from them, a total of many times less than other methods currently available.
Italian delivery robot "YAPE" can carry 70 kilograms of cargo, and the speed is 6.5 kilometers per hour when running on the sidewalk, which is faster on the bicycle lane, reaching 20 kilometers per hour.
Its works in fact very simple . YAPE uses GPS positioning, uses its own camera and distance measurement laser to determine the situation on the street and dodge or accelerate accordingly, so as to avoid pedestrians, obstacles and street intersections that successfully pass through traffic lights. After
arrives at the destination, its cargo hold can only be opened by the designated recipient through face scanning or other unlocking operations, but the pickup must register with the YAPE delivery system.
If wheeled robots are common, then robots that look like ostrichs are more special.
Agility Robotics, located in New York, USA, is developing robots that can travel through any terrain. Its first product, called "Cassie", is shaped like an ostrich and has been "hired" at six research institutions. The company expects the robot to be used in a wide range of ways, both for delivery, equipment inspection and dangerous search and rescue operations.
Among the many delivery robots, the most eye-catching thing is that Amazon develops the "postmen". It can be delivered to your home at any time, and if you are not at home, it can also open the smart door lock with the “Amazon Key” to deliver items to your home.
According to Amazon's vision, this robot can be owned by individuals or a "delivery helper" for the entire apartment or community. Even if you are on a business trip, you don’t have to worry about receiving goods.
“Delivery can be automated relatively quickly,” Heinla noted, “People think this will happen in the next 20 or 30 years, but we realize…it’s time now."What other obstacles are there in
?
Logistics cost has always been a heavy topic in the express delivery industry, especially the last mile. Data shows that the global logistics cost in 2016 was nearly US$80 billion, of which the last mile transportation cost accounted for 50%.
Experts said that compared with couriers, delivery robot can reduce transportation costs by half . The huge business potential attracts global auto manufacturers, technology giants, and entrepreneurs The company and express delivery companies have entered the market one after another.
JD once said that the original intention of doing unmanned projects is to solve the growing demand for logistics and distribution, and strive to continuously reduce logistics costs and improve operational efficiency through technology, thereby improving users' shopping experience.
Of course, in addition to the low cost, there are many other benefits for delivery robots. For example, because they are transporting goods and driving at low speeds, there are no need to worry about safety issues. In addition, robot delivery can be all-weather and even better at night.
Does this mean Can the delivery robot completely replace the courier ? The answer is no.
The biggest weakness of unmanned delivery may be that consumers need to go to the roadside to pick up goods, while couriers can deliver packages or pizza directly to your door.
Someone may ask, Amazon's "postmen" can enter the home. But it should be pointed out here that there is a security loophole in Amazon's smart key system. It was exposed last year that hackers can take the opportunity to sneak into consumers' homes and steal property.
and use manpower The express industry has not yet fully embraced this new technology. Chad Brown, an innovative manager based in London, expressed doubts about the idea that a large number of robots will soon replace humans.
“There is a question of how scalable this model will be in the future,” Brown said. His company participated in a small-scale robot trial in London’s Southerk district but ultimately decided to stick to the traditional way of delivering and picking up vans.
“Now, our couriers can deliver 50 packages in one trip. Considering that a robot takes about half an hour to deliver a package, you will need a lot of robots. "Brown said.
delivery robots also face resistance from some groups, which are concerned about various problems (from potential job losses to crowding out limited space on the sidewalks).
"Pedestrians have found obstacles everywhere on the sidewalks, including block public facilities and vehicles parked on the sidewalks," said the British charity "Life Street", which advocates walking, said: "Sidewalk-based robots are an additional obstacle and add a new threat because they are moving." ”
However, analysts believe that with the significant increase in the number of packages, humans will eventually rely on robots to deliver .
From: Guoshi Express
Author: Sun Qiuxia
Editor: Guo Lingjie
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