Robotic Ground Delivery Featured Pattern: P1113 September 2017
Abstracts in this Pattern:
Ground delivery is an emerging application area of robotics technology. Numerous companies—including Starship Technologies (London, England) and Marble (San Francisco, California)—are developing small autonomous delivery robots that use the sidewalk to make deliveries. In a recent interview, Boston Dynamics (SoftBank Group Corp.; Tokyo, Japan) founder and CEO Marc Raibert disclosed that the company is experimenting with using its various robotic platforms in urban package delivery. At a recent conference, Dr. Raibert showed a video in which a four-leg doglike robot walks up to a front door to deliver a package it carries on its back. Other companies are applying autonomous-vehicle technology to create large self-driving delivery trucks. Recently, start-up Einride (Gothenburg, Sweden) unveiled its design for a fully electric autonomous cargo truck. Unlike other autonomous trucks, Einride's truck has no driver cab or windows and "looks essentially like an aerodynamic white box with wheels." Self-driving technology controls the vehicle during highway driving (though a remote operator can assume control if necessary). A remote operator takes control of the vehicle when it leaves the highway and must travel on smaller roads and city streets to reach its destination.
Just as companies are taking novel approaches in the development of robots that make ground deliveries, governments are taking novel approaches in the development of regulations that encourage, discourage, or even ban the use of such robots. For example, Virginia recently became the first US state to pass a law that allows ground robots to make deliveries. The law requires robots to weigh less than 50 pounds, move no faster than 10 miles per hour, and operate on sidewalks and in crosswalks only. The robots may operate beyond the line of sight of an operator, but an operator must monitor the robot remotely and take control if a problem occurs. In contrast, a city supervisor in San Francisco, California, recently introduced legislation to ban autonomous robots from sidewalks and public rights-of-way in San Francisco. The city supervisor was concerned about pedestrian safety, the risk of robots' replacing human employees, and the various privacy issues that could emerge because of the cameras robots use to navigate.
The Development of this Pattern
Data Points
- SC-2017-08-02-042
In a recent interview, Boston Dynamics founder and CEO Marc Raibert disclosed that the company is experimenting with using its various robotic platforms in urban package delivery. - SC-2017-08-02-011
Virginia recently became the first US state to pass a law that allows ground robots to make deliveries. - SC-2017-08-02-013
A city supervisor in San Francisco, California, recently introduced legislation to ban autonomous robots from sidewalks and public rights-of-way in San Francisco.
Implications
Robotic Ground Delivery
Some companies are developing autonomous robots and vehicles that make ground deliveries, but governments are having mixed reactions to their arrival.
Previous Alerts
- P0425 — Tackling Traffic Tantrums (December 2012)
New methods of relieving traffic congestion contain a novel mix of incentives and disincentives. - SoC666 — Urban Mobility (July 2013)
Urban transformation will have an all-encompassing effect on mobility needs. - SoC757 — The Specter of Autonomous Transportation's Utopia (October 2014)
Experimental autonomous cars have so far proved to be remarkably good "drivers," but they cannot operate on just any road. - P0836 — Transforming Cargo Transportation (October 2015)
Innovations in transporting cargo and mail are emerging, and they could enable dramatic increases in efficiency. - P0871 — Drone Infrastructures (January 2016)
New drone applications require new infrastructures, including drone airports, drone-traffic-control systems, and drone-logistics facilities. - SoC908 — Driverless Cars: Industry and Legislative Issues (November 2016)
The emergence of driverless cars will require new legal frameworks. - SoC915 — (P)Review 2016/2017: Urban Mobility (January 2017)
In 2016, urban environments' becoming increasingly smart, autonomous-transportation concepts' emerging, and planners' considering new mobility infrastructures offered a glimpse of the future of urban mobility. - P1055 — Autonomous Urban Transportation (April 2017)
Various types of autonomous vehicles are under consideration for use in urban environments.