Outdoor Delivery Robots: If you still have not witnessed delivery robots on the streets, expect to see them soon. Delivery robots are expected to replace delivery personnel soon. The advent of this technology is forecast to benefit the e-commerce platform, grocery delivery and cloud kitchen, and pharmaceutical industry on a long-term basis. Online platforms are thriving to enhance their services by adding innovations to the space.

These robots are capable of delivering products or parcels on-time delivery with additional security. Moreover, they can also perform several tasks at once with high efficiency and accuracy. This evolution of technology is expected to benefit renowned online stores, such as Amazon, Dominos, Flipkart, etc. The concept of a delivery robot has evolved rapidly, and companies are deploying these robots at a rapid pace. Undoubtedly, these robots have the potential to replace human workers in the coming years as technology is gaining vital place across all industrial verticals. A delivery robot is an automated robot used to deliver products, such as food, parcel, medicine, etc., to the customers at their doorsteps.

Here is the list of factors depicting how and why delivery robots will replace humans.

Lowering the cost of home delivery

Even if the initial cost of delivery robots is pretty high, it benefits the users in a long term. Companies do not need several employees to perform deliveries and pay them on a monthly basis. Moreover, these robots are considered suitable to deliver wide range of products at once. It also reduces the cost of transportation. Amazon is constantly focusing on setting up the entire autonomous environment for product delivery. For instance, Amazon unveiled its last-mile delivery robots in 2019 in Southern California. The robot named Scout was used to autonomously deliver parcels to the customers. Thus, it reduced the need for heavy vans and the extra costs associated with that.

Environmentally Friendly:

Concerns over the growing pollution rate have forced companies to come up with sustainable solutions. Delivery robots do not require fuel like diesel. Therefore, it does not contribute to CO2 emission. However, conventional methods such as delivery through vans and trucks cause pollution as they are fuel-powered. As a result, the industry is expected to witness promising growth potential in the coming years.

Increased Safety

Delivery drivers experience high potential risks as they may have to deliver parcels at inconvenient places. Moreover, they have to deal with cash problems even at night which puts them in a precarious position. Outdoor delivery robots will not only enhance the safety of the pedestrians but will also be able to deal with the customers in unsafe places. This factor is expected to bring a new potential future for delivery robots. According to Astute Analytica, the global outdoor delivery robot market is forecast to witness a substantial jump by growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.3% over the forecast period 2022-2027. In terms of volume, the market is registering a CAGR of 19.6% over the projection period

Food delivery companies such as Dominos are also adopting delivery robots to offer benefits to the users. Recently, the firm made headlines as it announced to use of Nuro’s self-driving robot. According to the information, the robot will deliver pizza orders to customers in Houston.

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for contactless delivery has surged enormously, mandating the use of technology to prevent further risk. Thus, the pandemic is expected to bring numerous growth opportunities for the outdoor delivery robots industry even in the coming years. Apart from that, various companies began delivering products with the help of delivery robots. For instance, Venezia’s New York Style Pizza made headlines in the past as the company announced delivering pies through delivery robots.

Deployment of Outdoor Delivery Robots to increase in the coming years:

Apart from Amazon and Dominos, various other platforms see a future in delivery robots. In Europe, Estonia became the first country that permitted delivery robots on the pavement. However, there were some technical requirements mandatory to be fulfilled. For instance, the delivery robot should not be longer than one meter in height and larger than 1.2 meters in length. Moreover, the weight of the delivery robot should not exceed 50 kg. In addition to this, they have to be white, with red reflectors and lights so that they can be seen at night.

Delivery Robots have taken over a wide place in India also. Flipkart, which is owned by Walmart, made headlines in the past as the company deployed nearly 100 robots in one of its delivery hubs, present on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The robots will help the firm in package sorting and streamlining its supply chain. Moreover, these delivery robots will be in charge of picking products from a conveyor belt. They will also scan the product and drop them down a chute assigned to a specific pin code.

Growing Innovations to Combat Challenges

Starship Technologies has been thriving in this sector for several years now. The company has developed various delivery robots, and its technology has been tested across various cities in Europe, including London, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Bern.

Moreover, technology developers are also signing partnerships intending to develop more efficient products. For instance, DHL inked a collaboration with Locus Robotics in 2020. The partnership with this Massachusetts-based start-up will allow the firm to get 1000 robots to enhance its mail delivery across 12 sites. Furthermore, RoboPony also unveiled its Zhen Robotics in 2020. Suning.com Group Ltd., one of China’s prominent retailers, is using this technology to ship food and other necessities to households. The step was taken during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce the risk of infection.

Conclusion

Recognizing the potential scope of the technology and initiatives by vendors, outdoor delivery robots are soon to become the new normal. The robots are expected to cover the streets of the world, transporting food and other necessities. Moreover, the wake of the pandemic has significantly highlighted the demand for contact-free deliveries, which is one of the crucial factors shaping the future of technology.

Pranay Aduvala

Pranay, a coding maestro weaving digital magic with Dot Net,Angular. With 4+ years in web development,he specialize in crafting seamless solutions. Beyond coding, Pranay is a wordsmith, passionate about sharing insights through guest posts. Whether crafting code or narratives, he bring creativity and precision to every project. Connect to explore his coding journey and delve into the world where tech meets storytelling .follow us on X