The pandemic has completely changed the way humans have been interacting with the world. With a big emphasis on contactless communication, tech companies are stepping in to make it easier now more than ever to avoid human interaction.
E-commerce has blown up over the last couple of years and has become the preferred way to shop for many. What was once a bit of a terrifying process, has now become and quick and easy solution to getting the things we need. One of the only problems with online shopping is the wait time, which could be anything between 2 to 4 days from purchasing.
With an influx of orders and with the consideration of weekends and public holidays, the delivery time is even longer. In today’s society, people don’t want to wait around, if anything they want their package the second they order it. The faster the delivery, the more likely people will purchase again.
Online Shopping On The Rise
Now that shops are open once again and the tech industry is booming, businesses started to notice that just like people prefer playing at Grand Rush online, customers were still opting for shopping online, and many businesses have taken the plunge to fully immersive themselves in the e-commerce realm. This has led to the closure of physical stores and the investment into faster, better and more convenient online stores.
In the US, the UK and some parts of Europe people have begun to notice the fleets of delivery robots roaming the streets. The little robots aren’t what you’d expect them to be. For one, they don’t look anything like a human. The robots released by Starship in late 2021 are designed for the full purpose of convenient delivery, so they look more like mini cars.
The bots are controlled with machine learning algorithms, meaning that with each delivery and trip they make their efficiency improves. This helps the robots to become more accustomed to their area and perform deliveries at a faster rate. Alistair Westgarth, the CEO of Starship told Forbes that the robots have already travelled 3.6 million kilometers since their release, and have completed over 2 million deliveries.
The robots are currently being tested for food delivery as well, in hopes that the robot won’t face too many obstacles and get the food delivered on time. The main problem humans may be seeing with the delivery robots is the loss of potential jobs.
Robots Enhance Not Replace
Starship says that the intention behind the robots is not to replace humans, but rather to assist them in the influx of orders they are receiving on a daily basis. Although delivery services employ millions of people globally, companies have noticed that delivery drivers are overwhelmed by the many orders, and often start prioritizing larger orders with further distances.
That’s where the delivery robots come in. As there are many rules and regulations around the capabilities of the robot, it has been working better for shorter distances. This decreases the likelihood of the robot stalling or facing a challenging interaction.
The bots are still in their early phases, so the robot’s programming often looks to humans to confirm that they are on the right path, or if they can cross a street safely. But with every interaction, the robots become more advanced and will soon be 100% autonomous.