Self-driving food delivery robots are here, Sunderland! Just Eat is already testing them out for their own online delivery business. Created by Starship Technologies, these touchless, innovative robots help deliver orders during the restaurant’s busiest times. They address staffing shortages, a key pinch point for all businesses.
The trial uses genuine customer orders from twelve restaurants, including Koji, an Asian fusion restaurant on High Street West. The robots are instantly recognizable, painted a bright orange and covered with eye-popping Just Eat branding in white. They scoot down sidewalks on six wheeled treads and sport a long pole with a flashing orange flag on top to signal humans.
Equipped with cameras, the robots navigate the busy streets and roads of the city center, showcasing advanced technology designed to enhance delivery efficiency. Peter Richardson, general manager at Just Eat, said the communications powers could enhance these workers’ performance. He thinks they would do a great job of smoothing out staffing shortages at busy times.
“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
With the arrival of these robots come concerns about their effect on jobs. Eugene Murphy, a local resident, expressed worries about job displacement and the risk of vandalism if the project becomes permanent. Ahti Heinla, Koji’s founder and chief executive, sought to ease any panic among the public. He reiterated the point that the robots wouldn’t be taking human jobs.
“We are adding a new delivery option and it doesn’t replace people,” – Ahti Heinla
Heinla anticipates human couriers and delivery bots coexisting in the future. Rising consumer demand for delivery services, accelerated by the COVID pandemic, is powering this coexistence. He added that some routes will always need a human presence.
“I think there will be more and more both human couriers and delivery robots,” – Ahti Heinla
While many residents are fearful of this new implementation, some welcome the addition of these robots. Another local resident, Shaun Taylor, was equally welcoming of the development and said it’s a reflection of how Sunderland is “just changing with the times.”
Not everyone shares the enthusiasm for this next big thing in tech. Even Rachael Atkinson’s little son, Teddy—who’s lucky enough to have ridden in one of the robots—was somewhat shocked by their appearance. He bashed them as a “little nuts” and warned they would “steal the jobs of a lot of people.”
Critics of the initiative have expressed their concerns here. IWGB president Alex Marshall said the introduction of delivery robots would be “dystopian.” He underscored the profound societal implications this technology could have.
“This rings out like a warning alarm,” – Alex Marshall
As Sunderland proceeds through this trial period, the future of food delivery robots in Britain and wherever else they’ve recently arrived looks bleak. On one hand, they promise to revolutionize the industry and increase productivity, but on the other, they raise essential conversations around employment and technology’s role in society.