Amazon Scout: A robot walks on the sidewalks to deliver orders



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One of the most accurate bets that we can do for the future is the automation of parcel delivery. Amazon plans to use drones for years, but until now, they have not proved practical and safe.

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Amazon explained that he was about the size of a small cooler, he had six wheels and he walked on sidewalks at the speed of walking. Six Scouts will begin delivering packages to Snohomish County, Washington, Monday to Friday, provided the weather is clear. At least in the beginning, a human will accompany him to make sure that he's not stuck on poles and that he's navigating safely with the pets, the animals and the animals. pedestrians and everything on the way. "

] In terms of logistics, the robot can potentially reduce delivery costs. It is not as if the scout had to leave the distribution center and walk to people's homes, thus replacing human deliverers. The idea is that in the future, they go by truck to get to the center of the neighborhood and then walk the streets, eliminating the parking job of the car several times and asking a person to go to the house with the box. 19659002] The way to use these cots on the sidewalk should not be as free, as Wired points out. First, there are technical challenges: unlike standalone cars, which rely on more structured environments, sidewalks are usually more chaotic (there is no fire in the hand or traffic lights, for example).

Among other challenges include some limitations for their own deliveries: in the demonstration video, someone will have to get control of the robot's interior. And if there is no one at home? And it may be necessary to include a PIN code to avoid moving. Finally, the little robot can not open the doors or climb the stairs to get to the door.

Amazon is not the first to experience such deliveries. An Estonian start-up called Starship Technologies has already performed tests and the robot had a design very similar to that of Amazon. A startup in San Francisco, named Marble, made deliveries to Yelp Eat24 in 2017.

After these experiments, some cities began to think about regulations – to prevent accidents, the circulation of robots and people. other problems. San Francisco came to restrict the use of machinery by the end of 2017, which required the issuance of permits and tests in quieter areas

This solution seems at least less complicated and less dangerous than drones.

[Wired, Amazon]

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