Fleets of small autonomous robots could soon become a familiar presence on public pathways with the advent of ground-based drones that aim to improve local delivery of goods and groceries.
Former Skype co-founders have launched a new company, Starship Technologies, which is preparing to test their self-driving delivery robots in London.
The as yet unnamed robots are small, safe, practical and free from CO2 emissions, according to the developers.
"You place your order online, as you do right now, but instead of getting the delivery by somebody coming up to your door and knocking on your door, you would get it by a robot," said Ahti Heinla, a Skype co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies.
The robots can carry the equivalent of two bags of shopping and complete local deliveries in between five and 30 minutes from a designated hub or retail outlet.
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Heinla explained that the robots are not designed for long-distance orders, but for completing the final mile of a delivery.
He said this puts the customer in control of their deliveries by allowing them to choose from a selection of short, precise delivery slots.
"When you as a consumer, when you find it convenient for you, you call up the delivery using your smartphone. And then the robot gets loaded with your parcel in our hub and it drives to your doorstep. And that takes about 20 minutes. So instead of having a delivery window of half a day or something like 'you're getting your delivery sometime during today'; you can pick a delivery window that is like 10 minutes," said Heinla.
When a package is out for delivery with a robot, the customer can track it in real time on their smartphone. When it arrives at the delivery address, the customer uses their smartphone to unlock the secure compartment to access their goods.
In Greenwich, London, close to where the pilot schemes will take place, the droid drew a few puzzled looks but also a largely positive response from passers-by.
"I'm very impressed. It's small, it looks safe, looks futuristic. Very clever idea, I think," said Jake.
"I think it's the thing of the future. In decades to come you're going to see these sorts of things buzzing around the streets or up in the air. It's the start of the way ahead, I think," said shopper Pete, who added the robots could save his bacon over the festive period: "For someone like me who leaves Christmas shopping until the last minute it would certainly be handy for getting it next day."
Starship's technology uses "off the shelf" components, with the robots lightweight and low-cost, enabling the company to bring the current cost of delivery down by 10-15 times per shipment.
Each delivery robot will be fitted with navigation and obstacle avoidance software, with the company saying the robots will drive autonomously 99 per cent of the time. But they are also overseen by human operators who can step in to ensure safety at all times.
Starship Technologies will launch real-life trials of the robots in London and a couple of US cities in the northern spring.
