The Trend for Delivery Robots Strengthens with the Massive Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic

One great thing that the COVID-19 pandemic did for all of us was to pull us out from our comfort zones and made us acclimate to novel ways of living and working regardless of what the situation might be. From allowing teleworking for employees who had not done it any time before to dealing with video conferencing, it has made us adaptable to everything, and all of us have stretched our skylines and transformed accordingly. Another marvellous thing that several people came across during this pandemic situation is autonomous delivery robots.

What Triggered the Need for Autonomous Delivery Robots?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic might have restricted the business of numerous companies, but some smart businesses have drawn out a solution to replace human workforce with automatic delivery robots to avoid the spread of virus. The businesses that have adopted this novel technology are booming, even during the pandemic. Robotic delivery enables contactless delivery - a greatly preferred service under the social distancing norms.

Although autonomous delivery robots were previously in operation in some urban regions, hotels, universities, airports, and enormous business premises before the pandemic, their demand is mounting profoundly from the time when the novel coronavirus infection restricted human workers to do their duties. As per a report by Research Dive, the delivery robot market is projected to surpass $2,405.1 million in the 2021-2028 timeframe. This growth is because, nowadays, robotic food delivery (or the delivery of any item that can be carried out using a robot) is being undertaken by an extensive array of companies, from garage start-ups to retail giants.

Here are 5 companies that have been using or are making an attempt to implement robotic delivery.

1. Nuro

Nuro has attempted to make open road robotic delivery a success with its robot called, R2. Its robots are specially designed to carry fresh food items in ice-cold or heated containers. The robots are completely autonomous, that is there are no conventional controls and no need for a human driver.

2. Starship Technologies

The delivery robot by Starship Technologies has swiftly turn out to be the go-to choice for numerous food and delivery businesses. It is a 6-wheeled electric vehicles which can be used by numerous US colleges for delivering food to students all over the campus. It can also be used by grocery businesses for delivering products.

In the COVID-19 lockdown period, a fleet of 70 robots developed by Starship was used for delivering groceries to the households of healthcare personnel in Milton Keynes in the UK.

3. Amazon

Amazon, the ecommerce giant, is also attempting for a enabling the delivery of products by making use of autonomous robots. It has by now expended numerous years on attempts aimed to make drone deliveries successful, and now its autonomous robot called Scout vehicle, an electric six-wheeled robot, is attempting to move across the streets and sidewalks.

Back in January 2019, the company revealed that the Scout was developed and constructed in-house. The Scout functions much similar to those developed by Starship Technologies, The robot can drive itself across the sidewalks, and opens up when it reaches the customers doorstep.

4. AutoX

AotoX, a start-up conjointly headquartered in Hong Kong and California, began its trials for delivering groceries in California back in 2017. The start-up used cars modified to store chilled food items in their back seats, which can be easily accessed through open windows.

AutoX then came up with its autonomous car technology at the (Consumer Electronics Show) CES technology show in January 2019. It revealed its car pick up service and delivered burgers to the audience in the show.

5. Eliport

Eliport is another robot delivery company which is yet in its initial development stages. It is making use of its own custom-made cars for delivering products.

The company’s 4-wheeled electric vehicles are developed to run at a walking speed on footways and in pedestrian areas for distributing products at homes as well as offices. The company believes that it is different from all other robotic delivery companies, as its robots are developed to run without the need for human participation.

The Way Ahead for Delivery Robots

The integration of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the delivery robot is estimated to unlock innovative opportunities for the delivery robot market in the upcoming years. The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed given a boost to this amazing technology. To sum-up, it is expected that the demand for delivery robots will skyrocket in the future.

About the Author(s)

Princy A. J

Princy holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the prestigious Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. University at Chennai, India. After a successful academic record, she pursued her passion for writing. A thorough professional and enthusiastic writer, she enjoys writing on various categories and advancements in the global industries. She plays an instrumental role in writing about current updates, news, blogs, and trends.