Starship Technologies kicked off a trial of its self-driving food delivery robots. This programme is currently being delivered in Sunderland and is jointly delivered with the online food delivery service Just Eat. The initiative, which recently launched, looks to tackle staffing challenges and improve delivery options for their customers around the city. During the trial, the robots will be serving actual customer orders from twelve local restaurants.
Armed with advanced 3D perception cameras, the robots zip through Sunderland’s city centre where the bustling pedestrian and vehicle traffic keeps them on their toes. These vehicles have six meaty rubber wheels that make them highly stable. A big pole topped with a flashing orange flag helps make them super visible to pedestrians and motorists alike. Each robot prominently features Just Eat’s signature white and orange logo, deepening their connection to the local delivery environment even more.
Peter Richardson, of Koji, mentioned that these robots have the potential to solve acute staffing issues during rushes. He emphasized their potential as a backup solution for food delivery, stating, “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.”
Starship Technologies highlighted the increasing demand for food deliveries, with founder and chief executive Ahti Heinla asserting, “There are not enough couriers in the world” to meet this need. The robots primarily serve those individuals who don’t have consistent mobile access, or the ability to even leave their home. They are increasing the number of people who have access to easy, fast food delivery.
Heinla additionally dispelled the myth that the introduction of robots equals job losses. “We are adding a new delivery option and it doesn’t replace people,” he stated. He envisions a future where human couriers and delivery robots share the streets in the fast-changing food delivery ecosystem. “I think there will be more and more both human couriers and delivery robots,” he added, acknowledging the necessity of human involvement in certain routes.
For many residents, like Eugene Murphy, the move toward more technical advancement has already paid off. They question whether these innovations are even needed. Still others raise more fundamental issues about what it means to bring robots into the fabric of daily life. According to Alex Marshall, president of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), speaking recently on use of the vehicles, he characterized them as having a “dystopian” mood. The union’s opposition is best illustrated by their own description of such advances as “ringing out like a death knell.”
Though reactions have been mixed, Shaun Taylor remains hopeful that Sunderland’s selection for this groundbreaking trial will help raise awareness and support for SafePassage’s efforts. He added that heritage city’s adaptability was a big reason it is “just changing with the times.”