Just Eat UK is launching a trial of cutting-edge four-legged delivery robots designed to navigate urban environments, including challenging obstacles like stairs. Ten independent restaurants in Milton Keynes and Bristol have joined the pilot scheme. These smart robots will directly enable on-demand, efficient grocery delivery for these sites.
The RIVR robots, with wheels instead of legs, are designed for crossing complex landscapes. They’ll be able to lug a bright orange Just Eat box on their back, creating a more efficient, safer way to deliver food in crowded cities. This initiative is a major step forward for this new technology in delivery, especially in cities where current practices could prove more difficult logistically.
Marko Bjelonic, the chief executive of RIVR, is working with Just Eat UK to try to bring this trial to life. He noted that the partnership marks “an important step in scaling autonomous delivery across European cities.” This approach is designed to make the food delivery service as efficient and rapid as possible, causing limited disruption to crowded urban roadways.
The Bristol trial, which has expanded to include eight restaurants, like Jolly Fryer, Chicken Mews and Bishopston Fish Bar. Tuck in with 12th Street Burgers & Shakes and Moores Fish & Chips, to name just a couple of Milton Keynes’ impressive participants. These restaurants will ultimately be the proving grounds where these robots will be tested and proven effective or not in real world delivery environments.
In Switzerland, a comparable pilot program demonstrated the possibilities of autonomous delivery. Over 70,000 deliveries have been made using RIVR technology. Given this success, there’s a clear opportunity to duplicate and grow these types of initiatives in cities large and small. Commercial delivery drones are being tested right now in Ireland. This underscores the industry’s accelerating push to automate food delivering jobs.
Bjelonic was hopeful about the ways these robots would fit into Milton Keynes’ existing operations. He stated, “The launch in Milton Keynes reflects a shared focus on practical, automated delivery that integrates seamlessly into existing operations.” This strategy not only improves customer experience, but seeks to tackle the growing challenges of deliveries in urban environments.