[ad_1]
Autonomous delivery robots will soon be allowed on the sidewalks of Washington State.
On Tuesday, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill that sets new rules for "personal delivery devices," such as the Amazon delivery robot, unveiled earlier this year.
Starship Technologies – an Estonian company founded by the co-founders of Skype – is building delivery robots like the ones Washington has just brightened up. Starship has worked closely with lawmakers in the state of Washington on legislation. It may be appropriate for one of the company's robots to issue the invoice to Inslee.
"Thank you Starship … but I can assure you that their technology will never replace the legislature of Washington State," Inslee said before signing the bill.
Under the new regulations, appliances:
- Can not travel faster than six miles to the hour
- Can not exceed 120 pounds before being loaded with deliverables
- Can not cross the street at pedestrian crossings
- Can be followed with a unique identification number
- Must be monitored and controlled by an operator
- Must belong to a company with an insurance policy covering at least $ 100,000 of liability
- Give way to pedestrians and bicycles
- Must have effective brakes and lights
In January, Amazon began testing its own delivery robot in Snohomish County, Washington, near the company's headquarters in Seattle. The so-called "Scout" device looks a little like a cooler on wheels and goes down the sidewalks at a pace. Amazon is associated with the county on the pilot. Today's news allows devices such as Scout to operate across the country.
Amazon did not immediately respond to GeekWire's request to comment on the new law. Representatives from Starship and Amazon attended the signing of the bill on Tuesday. Starship is pushing for this legislation to be passed in Washington since 2016.
Washington is now the eighth state to allow personal delivery robots on sidewalks. Companies like Starship have pushed for this type of legislation across the country. In addition to Washington, Virginia, Idaho, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, Utah and Arizona, devices are allowed on the sidewalks.
"In Washington, we subscribe to technological innovation," Inslee said Tuesday. "As we work to become a leading innovator in the use of autonomous vehicles, these robots are a welcome new addition."
[ad_2]
Source link