Starship touches down at Logistics Manager
Robot technology caused a stir on the pavements of London today when a Starship Technology robot arrived at the Logistics Manager offices to collect a parcel.
Alongside two escorts, the robot, which is part of a trial with Hermes, arrived to collect a parcel which was then transported back to Hermes’ London depot. The technology is currently being tested in a number of locations in South London, including: Greenwich, Dulwich, Lewisham and Southwark.
From left to right: Belinda Tse, event producer at Logistics Manager, Alex Leonards, senior reporter at Logistics Manager, Kirsty Mackenzie, marketing manager at Logistics Manager, Stephen Brooks, managing director of Akabo Media.
The robots are completely autonomous, navigating via pre-mapped routes, sensors and cameras. While in the trial stages, the robots are always accompanied by a human. The final aim is for the bots to be completely autonomous.
What if someone kicks the robot or picks it up? Well, as the technology includes a range of cameras, criminals will be recorded by the robot, if they’re not put off by the alarm first.
The robots are monitored from a control centre, but eventually, Starship aims to have one person overlooking 100 of the autonomous delivery vehicles. If the robot comes across a problem it can’t solve, i.e. struggling to fit through a gap that’s too small, it will call a human and manual help can be provided.
The company is also trialling for Just Eat in the UK.
The robots will be available to deliver packages, groceries and food 24/7, and customers will be able to track it from their mobile phones.