It would appear that delivery companies have unanimously decided that when it comes to placing a package on your doorstep, robots are the future. While we recently covered a pilot program in Austin, Texas that utilizes four-legged robots for the ‘final 100 yards’ of delivery–referring to the final step of transferring a package from delivery van to its finals destination. Amazon is taking a slightly different approach to this problem, with inside sources revealing that the company is developing humanoid robots for package drop offs.
Anonymous sources have tipped off The Information, telling the publication that Amazon’s ultimate goal is to have these robots “hitch a ride in the back of Amazon’s electric Rivian vans and spring out to deliver packages.” These sources tell The Information that the company has been working on construction of an obstacle course for these robots inside one of its San Fransisco offices. The course, which is nearing completion, reportedly contains a Rivian van, presumably to train the robots to efficiently leave the vehicle, avoid obstacles to drop off packages, then return to the van for the next delivery.
