Autonomous food delivery robots are taking to the streets of Sunderland! Online takeaway delivery company Just Eat is currently testing this cutting-edge technology. Developed by Starship Technologies, these robots aim to assist during busy periods and alleviate staff shortages by delivering food from 12 participating restaurants. The robots feature a cutting-edge navigation system. As they piloted the project, this technology allowed them to safely take to city center streets while delivering real customer orders.
Each robot is equipped with six super-sized rubber wheels that hug nearly any surface. A tall pole with a bright orange flag that flashes on top notifies pedestrians to its presence. This inclusive design aims to make sure they’re seen as the robots move around congested, dynamic city streets. Starship Technologies founder and CEO Ahti Heinla envisions these robots to supplement and complement human couriers’ efforts. He even goes so far as to claim they’ll never replace the priceless services humans offer.
“We are adding a new delivery option and it doesn’t replace people,” – Ahti Heinla
Heinla pointed out the current need for couriers around the world, saying, “there are not enough couriers around the world.” The robots might enable human workers to spot deliver areas more distant from downtowns, reducing total costs and increasing efficiency. Yet they are seen as a necessity to provide that most basic service. This assistance is critical for those who are more mobile challenged or homebound.
One of the pilot program’s restaurants, Koji, an Asian fusion restaurant, already says it has received praise from customers. Peter Richardson from Koji noted the importance of this initiative, saying, “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.”
Even with all the promises these delivery robots could bring, opposition has already bubbled up among some local residents as well as labor advocates. IWGB president Alex Marshall sounded the alarm over the threat to workers’ livelihoods, calling it “dystopian” for workers to be replaced in this manner. Rachael Atkinson, 35, worried about losing her job. In her own words, she said that when her son Teddy first saw robots delivering food, he was blown away.
“This rings out like a warning alarm,” – Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB)
Other residents expressed worries over future vandalism if the project were to become permanent. Though Starship Technologies tries to quell public fears about its robots replacing human jobs, there isn’t much public faith. Heinla envisions a future where human couriers and robots deliver side by side in the battle for the last mile.
“I think there will be more and more both human couriers and delivery robots,” – Ahti Heinla