Security measures to curb the pandemic have put autonomous robot deliveries at the forefront.
Suddenly and, you could almost say, ahead of time, delivery services with autonomous robots have been launched. To matacaballo. Out of necessity. The covid-19 pandemic has put this new technology in the spotlight. Security measures to prevent contagion are mainly based on avoiding contact between people. Y this is precisely what these machines enable.
Starship Technologies is well aware of the situation. They work since 2014, when it was founded by two co-founders of Skype, in autonomous delivery robots. Its expansion plans looked towards 2021, with a clear objective in the peephole: university campuses. This was the niche the company had chosen to start growing its business.
The idea seemed promising. University campuses are large, but traffic-free or low-traffic environments, ideal for commercial testing of autonomous delivery robots. But before any of this could be set in motion, the pandemic has arrived. And the company has taken a turn. Its purpose now is to meet that growing demand for deliveries with autonomous robots, without people.
From the company they say they have observed that the demand for delivery services that avoid contact with people has skyrocketed in recent weeks. And these machines are one of the technological alternatives that are gaining more prominence.
Starship Technologies already made food deliveries, in their small land rovers, which carry up to 9 kilos. These types of autonomous vehicles are not new. Similar systems already operate in Dallas, as well as in Arizona, where fresh food is distributed. But its use during the epidemic has been abrupt.
Technological solutions to stop contagion
The use of autonomous vehicles to perform certain tasks began to take shape in China. Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the country tried to use driverless vans that disinfected the streets. Drones have also been used for this purpose, although in their case they are remotely piloted.
The key is in robotics, in task automation. This factor may, in some cases, exempt people from performing work and thus from exposure. One of the most striking proposals in this regard has been the opening in China of an automated hospital. In it the assistance will be provided by robots, in order to avoid an overexposure of the toilets, who of course will supervise the operations.
Images: Starship Technologies
