UK-based Just Eat is currently testing self-driving food delivery robots in Sunderland. Called the Smart Staffing Initiative, the effort is intended to address staff shortages and improve efficiency during peak hours. Starship Technologies has created nifty little robots to deliver orders from twelve local eateries. One of these establishments is Koji, a pan-Asian restaurant on High Street West. If successful, this trial would be a game changer for the food delivery landscape. It further asks us to reconsider the role of technology in our workforce.
These autonomous vehicles cruise around the city on their six chunky, rubber wheels. A tall yellow pole with a bright orange flag at the top allows them to cross the busy streets following the latest camera technology. The trial will allow Just Eat to see how the robots handle real-world deliveries. They’ll carry food and other customer orders, helping take the logistical pressure off of human couriers.
Peter Richardson, general manager of Koji, was pleased with the effort. He noticed a great reaction from customers. From the evidence above, you can tell that the robots have already been a success.
“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.” – Peter Richardson
Firmwide fears over job displacement have grown right alongside this future-facing technological excitement. Rachel Atkinson, a downtown resident, expressed her concerns that the robots could put dozens of delivery workers out of work. To the contrary, her son Teddy was fascinated by the robots, telling her they were “a little bit wild.”
Ahti Heinla, cofounder and chief engineer of Starship Technologies, responded to concerns over replacement of drivers’ jobs. He further stressed that the robots are not meant to replace human workers, but to augment them. Heinla sees a future where human couriers and delivery robots work in tandem.
“We are adding a new delivery option and it doesn’t replace people.” – Ahti Heinla
Heinla went on to emphasize robots’ capacity to meet the rising demand for contactless deliveries. This new technology allows couriers to focus efforts on locations that are more outlying from urban centers. He continued, some deliveries will always need humans to play a role in.
Skepticism remains among some community members. In response, Eugene Murphy questioned the need for robots in food delivery, saying, “you’ve got to move with technology. IWGB president Alex Marshall denounced the introduction of delivery robots as “dystopian.” Yet he cautioned that their very presence might signal a troubling new direction for labor’s practices.
The robots are currently being tested with live customer orders, providing Just Eat the opportunity to test how they perform and how effective they can be. As technology advances, what it means for the future of delivery workers is less clear.