Make Way for Traveling Suitcases
Just when we started getting used to the idea of flying drones dropping packages on our front doorstep, word has it that robots -- described as “suitcases driving at 4 mph” -- might actually be ringing our doorbells first. And unlike their hovering, buzzing competition, these delivery vehicles will even possess some welcome “social” skills.
I have no doubt the day is coming when customers will be able to place an order online and wait (impatiently) only minutes to hear the reassuring sound of a thud outside.
In 2014, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos first predicted on 60 Minutes that “octocopters” would be delivering light-weight packages within 4-5 years, some skeptics called him out for his brilliant publicity stunt.
Brilliant and prescient...
Today we all know about “drones” and may have bought or received one of the million sold over the 2015 holiday season.
But the logistics and e-commerce companies are waiting (impatiently) for a simpler autonomous delivery solution that may actually eclipse the drone phenomenon.
The San Francisco Chronical recently reported on “a suitcase-size, battery-powered, driverless machine on wheels that can glide along on sidewalks using sensors to avoid collisions” (the tech equivalent of saying “excuse me...”).
For the past nine months, a startup company named Dispatch has been developing such a self-driving robot cleverly called “Carry.” The plan is to provide its bot services to retailers and on-demand delivery operations.
Carry has been tested on busy college campuses in California where it interacted with pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders and clueless cell-phone users as it slowly (2-4.5 mph) but methodically made its way on sidewalks to deliver up to 100 pounds of product.
When it reaches its destination, Carry is designed to interact with a customer via a smartphone app that will show the robot approaching on a map on their phone.
OK, so it won’t literally ring their doorbell, but a ping on the customer's cell phone will alert them that Carry has arrived and provide them with a code to unlock the “suitcase” holding their delivery.
But here’s the best part: once this technology goes mainstream, I will no longer have to stop at a UPS Store to return 90 percent of the clothes I order online (on average, 30 percent of online fashion orders get sent back). The bot will wait patiently as I try on my disappointing purchases and quickly repackage them for the return trip in Carry’s spacious trunk.
Bon voyage, Carry! (Try bringing something that fits next time...!).
Described as “R2D2-like drones,” these earthlings are not nearly as flashy as their Fly Boy counterparts.
But drones can land on your head.
With the delivery bot, you can Keep Calm and Carry On.
Anita Alvare (bio)/Alvare Associates/610-520-6140
