by Ric | Dec 8, 2015 | Land |
How one company is betting on ground-based autonomous delivery solutions (delivery bots) to buck the airborne delivery drones trend. Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 23 Skype Co-Founders Launch The Starship ‘Ground Drone’ For Deliveries (November 5, 2015) (Editor’s Note: Are wheeled ground drones traveling along on city sidewalks a more realistic alternative to aerial drones for autonomous last mile deliveries? Maybe. It all depends in what environment they will operate. Gated communities, university campuses and retirement villages are likely candidates…) What the Article Chronicles: According to Strategy&, by 2035 we will be living in a world where 1/6 of the cars on the road are driverless and 4 to 6 deliveries per week are made by drones. A world where brick and mortar stores will function more like distribution centers complete with rooftop landing pads for UAVs and garages for driverless delivery vehicle fleets. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to hear that two former co-founders of Skype, already experienced in “disrupting” traditional industries, have created an Estonian start-up that will produce small ground-based autonomous drones that look “like a fridge on wheels with blinking LED lights”. The goal? To deliver groceries and other small goods in a way that will satisfy the e-customers constant desire for instant gratification services. The terrestrial 6-wheeled concept will likely be able to deliver about 2 grocery bags worth of cargo – 20 lb (9 kg) within 5 to 30 minutes at 1/10 to 1/15 the price of conventional delivery. A mobile app would allow customers to track their delivery. The same app would allow them to unlock the Starship,...
