Sharing the sidewalk with robots might be new norm

Sunday, July 10, 2016, 11:51 AM - In a bid to clean up the planet, energy-efficient technology is gaining increasing popularity.

But can these inventions be good for the planet and revolutionary for humans at the same time?

One company is putting that question to the test.

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Starship Technologies -- headquartered in London, England and engineered in Estonia -- has come up with a smart robot intended to revolutionize local delivery. The company's "smart, friendly robots" are intended to trot down sidewalk alongside pedestrians delivering packages and groceries "almost free."

Starship Technologies' team of executives is comprised by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who in part led the delivery bot launch in late 2015.

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In July 2016, the group began testing their autonomous delivery bots on the sidewalks of the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, and a handful of other countries in partnership with well-established delivery companies. The next major country to test the bots will be the United States.

Built with the capacity to carry the equivalent of two grocery bags, the robots carry out deliveries within five to 30 minutes from a retailer or local hub, travelling at roughly 6.5 km/h. The company lists their cost as 10-15 times less than the cost of current short-haul delivery methods.

Despite the seemingly tardy air of the robots, they appeal to environmentalists because they eliminate the need for large trucks and consume less energy than most light bulbs, the company says.

They plan to sell their services to businesses, charging monthly and per-mile/per-trip fees, The Washington Post reports.

WATCH BELOW: Meet your potential new friend -- the local delivery robot.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Starship Technologies | www.starship.xyz

SOURCE: Starship Technologies | The Washington Post