Another country is adopting robotics to assist in postal deliveries — at least on a trial basis.
Brisbane, Australia, is now planning to test after-hour deliveries by an autonomous robot from 6 p.m. to midnight for four weeks starting in mid-November. Essentially a mobile locker, the robot will be accompanied by an Australia Post employee and carry just one parcel at a time, the Courier Mail newspaper reported today.
Prospective customers who are required to register and request a delivery at a time would receive a text message when the robot arrives at their door. The newspaper didn’t identify the robot’s manufacturer.
Last year, the Australia Post was testing $10,000 drones developed by ARI Labs for delivering medication and online retail items, RoboticsTrends reported.
Meanwhile, six-wheeled robots developed by London-based Starship Technologies were tested for mail delivery in Switzerland, England and Washington, D.C., Business Insider reported in 2016.
German postal officials are also testing a delivery robot, according to The Robot Report.
The French-made PostBot is being tested southeast of Bonn during a six-week pilot program. Mail carriers who will initially just use the robots for delivery between the city administrative offices are then expected to employ the technology for conventional delivery routes.
The robots, developed by France-based Effidence SAS, are capable of carrying up to 330 pounds and track the movements of the letter carrier. PostBots are designed to automatically follow carriers making deliveries to reduce workloads for carriers and free up their hands free for other tasks, according to SlashGear.
Tell Us What You Think!