Ford-backed Delivers.ai targets last-mile self-driving deliveries
Delivers.ai, a London-based autonomous delivery service, targets last-mile self-driving deliveries for emission-free restaurant food, grocery, and parcel delivery to doorsteps. The company’s robots work on camera-based technologies and low-cost sensors, traveling at pedestrian speeds of up to 6 km/h and giving way to other pavement or cycleway users for safety. Delivers.ai has been in R&D for the past two years and is currently working with partners across Europe on various pilot schemes. The company recently received investment from Ford, which is crucial to its long-term plan of having a device-agnostic platform with different types and sizes of robots relative to the use case. Delivers.ai’s business model is solely B2B, targeting multi-site restaurants, grocery groups, and parcel delivery operators. The robots are designed to take a 30kg payload for a multiple-item 3-day shop, with internal volume dimensions suitable for a stack of 14-inch pizza boxes.
However, one of the biggest hurdles Delivers.ai faces is governance which has yet to catch up to the technology. It’s challenging to get a definition from a government body as to what a robot is and differentiate it from what a vehicle is. Raising awareness is a big part of the company’s strategy, demonstrating robots in practical use to the public and authorities to let them know that the safety angle has been carefully considered and educating businesses and local providers about the benefits of these devices. Delivers.ai is also looking at other routes to market, such as operating on private land. The company is discussing a pilot in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London and approaching various other universities and business parks. Much of Delivers.ai’s R&D is focused on safety, ensuring the robot behaves appropriately to all kinds of challenges.
The original article is “Ford-backed Delivers.ai targets last mile self-driving deliveries.“