Hey Everyone,
The most exciting thing in Robotics for me this week is Starship Technologies getting more funding. Robotics funding really seem optimistic so far in 2024.
Last-mile logistics and automated delivery is a fascinating use case for robots that has come a long ways in the last five years. Delivery robots – just a few years ago, the stuff of pure science fiction – and as you might know I’m very bullish on delivery drones also making headway in the mid 2020s. See Amazon Drone Delivery FAQ.
By sometime in the 2030s we’ll have taken delivery robots totally for granted and laugh at the idea that people used to bring us our meals, goods or products. While micro-fulfillment and autonomous last-mile delivery have developed as independent trends, they both have the same end goals: to reduce the cost and increase the speed of last-mile delivery.
Last mile delivery
Micro fulfillment
Drone delivery in E-commerce
Eventually the Uber does become a robot for both the driving part and the last-mile delivery part.
I’m not a Technological optimist when it comes to AI’s impact on the world, but when it comes to robotics it’s a totally different story. Robotis will and should provide as more convenience in consumer economies as we age. I’m fine with dangerous repetitive work being done by machines.
From farming robots to sidewalk robots to flying drones delivering us small parcels, get used to it, it’s coming.
Starship
Sidewalk delivery robot services are a very difficult niche to make work and there are and will be a lot of casualties, so when I see funding like this I definately do pause.
Ahti Heinla, chief executive of Starship Technologies, said that his company’s robots have been gradually developed and iterated over the last 10 years to reach a point now where expansion is viable.
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