Companies in Milton Keynes and Bristol are already roadtesting groundbreaking four-legged delivery robots. These robots are specifically created to overcome urban challenges, like escalators and stairs. Just Eat UK has recently partnered with RIVR, a robotics company, to trial these autonomous machines in real-world city conditions. With this trial across ten independent restaurants in both cities, we’re taking an important step toward improving delivery services and keeping restaurants’ best interests in mind.
In Milton Keynes, a range of new and familiar favourite business are taking part in the trial. 12th Street Burgers & Shakes and Moores Fish & Chips would be two of them. Bristol’s participation is represented by familiar favorites like Jolly Fryer, Chicken Mews, and Bishopston Fish Bar. These teleoperated delivery robots are designed to make the delivery process much easier by circumventing delivery challenges often encountered in dense urban environments.
The RIVR robots have a distinct, nontraditional, four-leg design. Each leg ends in three small wheels, so the feet can simply roll over whatever terrain they’re crawling across. It’s the delivery method’s ability to ascend stairs that distinguishes bike couriers from drones. With an orange Just Eat box placed on their backs, the robots do not lack performance or personality.
This partnership truly reinforces the direction the future of autonomous delivery systems is heading in, said Marko Bjelonic, chief executive of RIVR. He stated,
“This is an important step in scaling autonomous delivery across European cities.”
This new initiative builds off a successful pilot program run in Switzerland that delivered nearly 1,000 autonomous deliveries. The favorable results from that trial have generated a second wind. Researchers are just beginning to scratch the surface of these robots’ potential on our urban streets.
Each of these companies are trying out new and varied ways to improve their delivery logistics. Along with their trials in the designated UK locations, they’ve expanded their drone delivery testing over to Ireland as well. Along with the tech breakthroughs and new experiments, this is a clear sign of increasing appetite for automated delivery solutions throughout Europe.