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Amazon is experimenting with delivery robots, starting with a small truck called Scout who is heading to the sidewalks of Washington State.
Six of the standalone electric trucks are going to deliver packages "at a pace" in Snohomish County.
The robots will only work during the day and will be accompanied initially by an employee of Amazon.
This is the latest test of a series of tests on pavement robots, considered a good alternative to road deliveries.
"We have developed Amazon Scout in our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring that devices can navigate safely and efficiently around pets, pedestrians and any other part of their journey," said Vice President from Amazon, Sean Scott, on the company's blog.
The truck is presented in a promotional video delivering a package. The lid lifts automatically when the customer leaves his house to pick up the package. The details of how exactly it will work are not given. Nothing explains what happens if the customer is not present at the time of delivery.
Amazon will not be alone in making such deliveries. The robotics company Starship Technologies has also announced a fleet of two dozen stand-alone robots to deliver coffee and pizza to students in Virginia.
The robots can be requested via an application to deliver goods to the campus of George Mason University.
San Francisco has had delivery robots in its streets for several years, with technology start-ups including Marble and Starship leading the way.
But there was some kind of feedback in return, some living there describing the robots as a threat and wondering if he was sure to share the sidewalks with them.
In 2017, the city's supervisor, Norman Yee, pbaded legislation to limit their use, including limiting the number of permits issued to three per company and forcing delivery robots to operate only in certain neighborhoods. They must also be accompanied by a human at all times.
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