Meet CargoPod – Ocado’s autonomous food delivery vehicle
Online grocery shoppers in the Borough of Greenwich in London have had food successfully delivered to their homes by a driverless truck, called CargoPod. This first trial of its kind …
Online grocery shoppers in the Borough of Greenwich in London have had food successfully delivered to their homes by a driverless truck, called CargoPod. This first trial of its kind …
Chinese online retailer JD.com Inc has launched a robot delivery service at multiple universities across China. The autonomous delivery robots feature parcel storage units and ‘smart’ locks that can only …
France-based TwinswHeel has launched an autonomous parcel delivery droid. TwinswHeel is a smart, flexible and efficient droid for all year round delivery 24/7 “We design and manufacture the droids that …
As autonomous robots and drones gain ground in solving the last mile delivery problem, they’ll be delivering more and more packages – resulting in more and more material for recycling… …
A Swedish startup company called FlyPulse is about to launch life-saving emergency response drones. FlyPulse have developed a quadcopter that can automatically fly and carry an automated external defibrillator (AED) …
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS) unveiled its InMotion autonomous people pod concept at the CES Asia show in Shanghai, making its debut alongside the company’s new Saab-based all-electric cars. The …
Is this the first ‘practical’ flying car? A Czech pilot called Pavel Brezina has designed and built the GyroDrive – an autogyro modified to be driven on public roads. “This …
Led by British entrepreneur William Sachiti, Guildford, UK-based startup, The Academy of Robotics, has gained permission from the UK government to test out a prototype of its Kar-Go ‘last mile delivery’ …
As part of a trial, UK retailer Tesco has completed its first robot delivery using Starship Technologies six-wheel robot. In a statement, Tesco said: “We carried out a one-off trial …
US-based electrically powered utility vehicle company Workhorse Group is testing a last-mile package delivery system using drones based on trucks. Workhorse is developing the delivery method using both electric vehicles and …
One of China’s largest online retailers, JD.com, plans to develop a drone which is capable of carrying one ton of cargo. The technology is scheduled to be tested over the …
A new online delivery service called Kiwi Campus has launched at University of California, Berkeley, using small robots on wheels to deliver food across the campus. Kiwi is an app …
Amazon has announced a major investment to boost its research and development into the use of delivery drones, with the opening of a new Prime Air Development Centre in Clichy, …
Lysaker, Norway-based Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) plans to deliver its agency essentials via drone. WSS Ships Agency VP business solutions & marketing Marius Johansen said: “Whether it is deliveries of …
A startup company called TeleRetail, based in Switzerland – and with offices in Germany and the US – has launched a prototype delivery robot which is designed to cover long …
Toyota has just agreed around $350,000 funding to Cartivator, a group of 30 young Japanese enthusiasts – working with drone expert Masafumi Miwa from Tokushima University – who have spent the …
At the Auvsi Xponential 2017 event, in Dallas, Texas, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich introduced Loomo Go – an autonomous delivery robot created by Segway Robotics. Able to be operated just …
In Texas, on 5 May, a team of drone experts – amusingly dubbed ‘Team Roadrunner’, after the famous fast-running cartoon character – set a US record for long-distance delivery by …
Online food ordering and delivery business Delivery Hero Group and Starship Technologies have launched a robot food delivery pilot program in Europe. Operating under the Foodora brand, the program was …
I wouldn’t usually revisit an ‘old’ story, but I’ve just found the video that should have accompanied my ‘Drone taxi, anyone?‘ story from 1 March this year… In March, I …
Just a day after I first talked about Lilium, the VTOL taxi, Uber has announced that it has selected Virginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences as a partner to develop electric vertical …
In Canada, ATB Financial has a new addition to its customer service team, a humanoid robot named ‘Pepper’ who will be used “to help enhance the customer experience”. ATB is …
OK, so it’s not a drone or a robot – and that’s what I usually talk about – but it’s a flying taxi which takes off and lands vertically, and …
Slovakia-based AeroMobil is now taking pre-orders for its flying car – and it will cost only $1 million! AeroMobil unveiled its new model at the Top Marques supercar show in …
Swedish company Einride has announced what it calls ‘a new transportation system’ featuring futuristic-looking vehicles called T-pods. On its website, Einride says: “This is not a company, it’s a movement. We …
In Germany, courier business Hermes has already tested a robot parcel delivery service in Hamburg – and has now announced trials in the London suburb of Southwark, using Starship Technologies’ …
San Francisco-based robotics startup business Marble has announced its first partnership, working with fast food ordering and delivery business Yelp Eat24. A few city restaurants are helping Marble and Yelp …
While more and more logistics companies test the viability of drone delivery, the hobbiest market poses a threat to their future. My interest in UAVs centres around their commercial use, …
In most towns and cities we see bus lanes, designed to speed public transport. They mostly do just that, but they also take away a lane from other road users, …
I know I’m posting this blog on 1st April… but it’s for real! California based Advanced Tactics Inc has completed the first successful trial of its Panther system – a …
For the past couple of weeks, logistics company Swiss Post, the Ticino EOC hospital group and US-based drone manufacturer Matternet have been successfully conducting test drone flights between two hospitals …
A year after Domino’s Pizza Enterprises unveiled the world’s first autonomous pizza delivery vehicle in Australia, it has announced that it is to introduce pizza delivery robots in Germany and …
After more than three years of construction and programming, Spencer the robot has completed various tests at Schiphol airport, successfully guiding some KLM passengers to their departure gate. During the …
As the letter to the EU Council that will trigger Article 50 to begin the Brexit process is delivered, Len McCluskey, the leader of the UK’s biggest union Unite, has …
Hard on the heals of Virginia, Idaho has become the second US state to pass legislation to allow delivery robots to roam its streets. From 1 July, Starship Technologies’ delivery …
It’s all happening in Dubai! The city in the sand plans to be the first to launch a drone taxi service and it will be the first to deploy Robot …
In the UK, Devon and Cornwall Police has been advertising for a ‘drone manager’ to head up its new dedicated 24-hour drone surveillance team, due to be launched this summer …
If government backing can be found, a Yeovil, UK-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturer called Windhorse Aerospace will build drones that can deliver food, water and medical supplies into hostile, …
Well, the whole point of this blog is to celebrate that the future I read about in comics and watched on TV or at the cinema when I was a …
German car manufacturer Volkswagen Group unveiled its first autonomous car concept, Sedric (SElf-DRIving Car), at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The capsule-like vehicle builds on new electric technologies, which the …
Passengers making their way through customs at Chinese airports could soon be greeted by a fleet of small information providing, crime-fighting robots. Sanbot has been trialled in China’s Gongbei Customs, …
In the United States, Virginia state governor Terry McAuliffe has signed a ruling allowing delivery robots to use public pavements from 1st July 2017. While pilot programmes are underway in …
I’ve been following the introduction and success of Starship Technologies’ delivery robots and their ‘Robovan’ project with Mercedes – and mulling over the future of local deliveries, particularly for the …
I was in Dubai last week for the annual Gulfood event – and also presenting the Gulfood Innovation Awards – and the media was filled with news that in July, …
The first commercially available flying car in the world is now for real! Following the successful test programs of their concept vehicles in 2009 and 2012, flying car manufacturer PAL-V …
The constant challenge to reduce costs in ‘the last mile’ for any delivery has become an obsession for almost everyone in the logistics industry. And for those who share my …
Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA has completed installation of Savioke’s hospitality robot – Relay – at two hospitality properties. According to the company: “Relay is designed for autonomous delivery of …
In the United States, Cafe X Technologies has begun road-testing a new machine that will see consumers served coffee by a robot barista. The company has unveiled the concept for …
Pepper the robot – from SoftBank Robotics – has been hired at HMSHost’s Pyramid Ale Taproom in Terminal 2 at Oakland Airport in California to offer menu advice, give directions …
In the UK, a Department for Transport study has shown that driverless cars could significantly reduce delays. The research project used computer software to create virtual models of different parts …
A patent, filed by online retailer Amazon in 2014 has been discover by CB Insights analyst Zoe Leavitt, detailing plans for giant flying warehouses, carrying fleets of delivery drones. The …
For the food industry, or rather for those who rely on working in it, it’s been an interesting and perhaps prophetic year. From supermarkets without checkouts to drones and robot …
Glasgow Airport has introduce an all-singing, all-dancing humanoid robot to ‘entertain’ passengers. While regular readers of my blog will recognise the robot as Pepper… this time around it is called …
In France, the General Directorate for Civil Aviation (DGAC) has authorised the DPDgroup to operate a regular commercial drone delivery service. A statement on the DPD website said: “For the first …
For the food industry, or rather for those who rely on working in it, it’s been an interesting and perhaps prophetic year. From supermarkets without checkouts to drones and robot …
On 7 December, Amazon made its first drone delivery – to an actual customer – dropping off a Fire TV streaming stick and a bag of popcorn to a house …
In November, a drone called ‘Dru’ successfully delivered a Domino’s pizza to an address just north of Auckland, New Zealand. Domino’s claimed that it was the first ever unmanned aircraft …
San Jose International Airport – the Silicon Valley travel hub – is the first airport in the United States to introduce customer service robots to provide travellers with entertainment, as …
Last week, in Colorado, USA, a driverless Uber truck made a 120 mile journey to deliver 50,000 cans of Budweiser beer – the first recorded commercial shipment by an autonomous …
‘AnBot’ has begun 24-hour patrols at the Shenzhen International Airport in Guangdong, China. It can use a taser, remotely activated by a policeman watching through the robot’s eyes The airport …
I just spent two enjoyable days at the ‘Lunch!’ show in London where I saw the latest offerings in the the food-on-the-go category. While the accent for much of the …
Project Wing, a unit of Google’s parent company Alphabet, has cooperated with fast food business Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and Blacksburg University, Virginia, with an experimental burritos delivery service on …
Hitachi has started trials of its EMIEW3 humanoid robot at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in Japan. The 90 centimetre-tall robot communicates with passengers in Japanese and English and has autonomous capabilities …
US home improvement stores Lowe’s is introducing LoweBot, a NAVii autonomous retail service robot made by Fellow Robots, in 11 of its stores throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Following …
As part of 7‑Eleven’s 89th birthday celebrations, the world’s largest convenience retailer teamed up with Flirtey to complete the first fully autonomous drone delivery. “This delivery required special flight planning, …
Humanoid assistants called ‘Pepper’ are being trialled at Belgian hospitals in Ostend and Liege and are employed to greet and interact with visitors. ‘Pepper’ uses cameras and sensors to detect …
Wroclaw airport in Poland has carried out the first test of EuGenius, a customer service robot which speaks foreign languages and knows the rules of etiquette. “In the future, artificial …
Silicon Valley, US-based advanced physical security technologies developer Knightscope has introduced Knightscope K3, designed for indoor applications. “It is imperative that we finally give chief security officers a highly capable, …
Can you down your credit card and pay with your body? Wearable technologies are gaining ground fast and while they’re great it you’re a fitness fanatic and want to track …
In Australia, Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (Domino’s) has unveiled the world’s first autonomous pizza delivery vehicle! The autonomous robotic platform inside the custom body was supplied by Sydney, Australia-based Marathon Targets. …
Panasonic System Solutions Asia Pacific (PSSAP) and Changi General Hospital (CGH) are implementing assistive robotics technology to improve operational efficiency of a hospital in Singapore. Experimental use of the Panasonic …
Nestlé Japan is using a humanoid robot to sell Nescafé machines as part of its ongoing effort to enhance brand engagement with consumers in Nescafé’s biggest market. ‘Pepper’ is the first …
Daimler Trucks has unveiled the transport system of the future. The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 will drive itself. The road there is being paved by assistance and telematics systems that …