by Walther Ploos van Amstel
Food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway.com has partnered with robotics company RIVR to introduce autonomous delivery robots in Europe. The first pilot has started in Zürich, Switzerland, where robots are now delivering meals from local restaurants. Expansion to other European cities is planned later this year, with possible applications in retail and convenience delivery. The …
As part of the EU-funded URBANE project, a demonstration was done on March 6, 2025, at the Phillipp-Reis-Straße tram stop in Karlsruhe. The research initiative explored innovative approaches for sustainable and efficient parcel delivery, specifically by integrating tram services with an autonomous delivery robot. URBANE stands for Upscaling Innovative Green Urban Logistics Solutions Through Multi-Actor …
Autonomous delivery robots are a promising alternative for last-mile delivery. To realize the successful implementation of delivery robots in public spaces, it is important to study the interaction between robots and the traffic environment. The traffic environment includes the physical infrastructure and the objects using it, like cars and people. New research proposes an assessment …
Unlike autonomous car applications, the operational area of urban service autonomous robots like autonomous delivery robots (ADRs) is not clearly defined. Moreover, assessing the feasibility of various operating scenarios is difficult due to large variations in the different robot designs, specific local infrastructure, and regulations. A new paper presents a prototype evaluation methodology based on …
Do autonomous delivery robots deliver? Road autonomous mobile robots have attracted the attention of delivery companies and policy makers owing to their potential to reduce costs and increase urban freight efficiency. Established delivery companies and new startups are investing in technologies that reduce delivery times, increase delivery drivers’ productivity, or both. In this context, adopting …
Demand in the food and retail sectors will push the adoption of delivery drones and self-driving vehicles. A report from consultancy MarketsandMarkets “Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery Market by Platform,” predicts the drone and self-driving vehicle sector will grow to $4.9 billion by 2030, growing more than 20 percent each year. The report sees the advancement of sense-and-avoid systems …
During recent years, several companies have introduced small autonomous delivery robots and evidenced their technical applicability in field studies. However, a holistic planning framework for routing and utilizing these robots is still lacking. Current literature focuses mainly on the logistical performance of delivery using autonomous robots, ignoring real-world limitations, and does not assess the respective …