Up to 200 Deliveries Per Day Targeted
"Solving Labor Issues in the Logistics Industry with Technology"
A "four-legged delivery robot" resembling a dog has begun making real deliveries in Texas, United States. This robot, equipped with both wheels and legs, is designed to recognize and respond to complex structures such as ramps, stairs, and front doors, enabling it to carry out delivery tasks without any issues.
On May 27, Swiss robotics company RIVR announced on its website that it is conducting a pilot robot delivery service in cooperation with U.S. logistics company Veho in the Austin area of Texas.
This robot is equipped with four wheels and is also capable of walking. After loading parcels from the delivery vehicle, the robot delivers them directly to the recipient's doorstep. It is designed to autonomously detect and appropriately respond to complex structures such as stairs and doors during the delivery process. A backpack is mounted on the robot's back to safely transport items.
During the pilot service, a human will accompany the robot to check its safety and operational completeness. The goal is to make up to 200 deliveries per day. The RIVR remote team will monitor the robot's performance during deliveries, and one robot will operate for 5 to 6 hours a day across Austin for two weeks.
Marco Bjelonic, CEO of RIVR, emphasized, "By having robots take over repetitive walking deliveries, we can reduce the physical burden on drivers. This is an attempt to address labor issues in the logistics industry through technology."
RIVR plans to analyze the data collected during this demonstration period and expand its operations to 100 robots by next year, and to several thousand robots by 2027. RIVR has raised approximately $25 million (about 34.4 billion won) through an investment round involving Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and the company is currently valued at $100 million (about 137.6 billion won).
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