Just Eat UK has kicked off a super cool trial with delivery robots. These robots are uniquely equipped to handle urban environments, including climbing up stairs! This popular initiative operates best with feet on the pavements of actual big town travel destinations. Its aim is to increase the speed of food deliveries through the UK. Our robot has a very weird, four-legged body plan, with wheels on each limb. They are the subject of ongoing trials in Milton Keynes and Bristol.
The trial includes ten small and diverse independent restaurants from across the city. Shout-outs go to 12th Street Burgers & Shakes and Moores Fish & Chips from Milton Keynes, as well as Jolly Fryer, Chicken Mews, and Bishopston Fish Bar, all from Bristol. These eclectic food-forward establishments will help to test the ability of the robots to deliver food without human interaction in fast-paced cities.
These advanced delivery robots are specifically designed to overcome “difficult city challenges” like stairs. These barriers are easily surmountable. This will help make food delivery much safer and more efficient, increasing access and opportunity for delivery services, restaurants, and everyday New Yorkers.
These autonomous delivery systems have already proven themselves in successful past trials. One pilot program in Switzerland handled almost 1,000 successful autonomous deliveries. This achievement indicates a huge promise for this technology as a viable solution in urban environments. On a related note, delivery drones are currently being tested in Ireland, widening the scope of automated logistics even further.
Just Eat UK is working in partnership with RIVR, the firm which designed the robots powering this trial. This partnership is a significant strategic move to broaden the deployment of autonomous delivery solutions in cities throughout Europe. We believe in this collaboration Duke Marko Bjelonic, chief executive of RIVR.
“This is an important step in scaling autonomous delivery across European cities.” – Marko Bjelonic
The robots are emblazoned with an orange Just Eat box on their backs. This allows them to stand out visually and be easily identified as they zip around the crowded metropolitan thoroughfares. This ongoing trial aims to stretch the technology’s capabilities. It moves the ball forward in that it helps us understand how we might be able to integrate autonomous delivery into existing urban infrastructures.