Online takeaway deliverer Just Eat has started a trial of the roadside robots made by Starship Technologies in Sunderland. The pilot is based on actual consumer orders from all twelve restaurants who are participating in the pilot including Chinese and Thai place Koji on High Street West. The robots aim to assist during peak busy periods and staff shortages, responding to the challenges that many businesses face in maintaining adequate workforce levels.
These robots move along city streets on six chubby rubber wheels. An enormous pole with a 4-foot-wide flashing orange flag bolts to the top of each robot, and a toll camera technology helps them glide effortlessly through traffic. Peter Richardson, the general manager of Koji, saw the positive response to the robots firsthand. He highlighted their promise for addressing workforce issues.
“It was really important, it’s such a unique thing and not something you expect to see,” Richardson stated about the introduction of the robots. He further emphasized their role as a backup solution during busy times, noting, “If one day something did go wrong and drivers went, there you’ve got that back-up, so you can still get that food out.”
Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies, sought to reassure the public about their robots’ intended purpose. He was clear that these robots do not replace humans. “We are adding a new delivery option and it doesn’t replace people,” he said. As the industry continues to grow, Heinla expects human couriers and delivery robots to work together more often. They’re going to work in tandem to address delivery needs.
In a recent blog post, Starship Technologies highlighted how their robots help people with disabilities. This new idea makes it easier for them to get deliveries directly at home. Heinla explained, “Robots have a key role to play in the delivery of infrastructure to help meet the growing demand and certain routes will still require people to complete deliveries.”
Not everyone is sold on the technology’s purported benefits. Residents expressed concern at how these robots would impact employment on the ground. They are concerned with the potential of vandalism if the project is made permanent. Rachael Atkinson, a local resident and AmeriCorps volunteer, reported the outcry. When her three-year-old son Teddy sees the robots, he thinks they are “a bit loco” and that they will take “a lot of people’s jobs.”
Alex Marshall, president of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), issued dire warnings over the spread of delivery robots. He described their rollout as “dystopian” and cautioned that it’s rendering laborious work by humans “obsolete, without compensation.”
The trial aims to determine the feasibility of integrating these robotic assistants into everyday operations while addressing community concerns regarding employment and safety. A robot walks up Sunderland’s Keel Square. The future of food delivery may be poised to radically change.