Amazon is actively testing a fleet of autonomous delivery robots. While testing is currently limited to one area, Amazon appears to believe this vehicle, called the Scout, is the future of home deliveries. What should UPS employees be afraid of.

From Prime Air to Amazon Scouts

Back in 2013, Amazon introduced the Amazon Prime Air. In a 60-minute segment, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos promised that a fleet of drones would be delivering packages by air in a few years. It’s 2019 and Amazon Prime Air is nowhere to be seen.

Amazon has a dedicated robotics wing working on other options. Until now, Amazon robot workers have been limited to moving groceries around Amazon warehouses. But now the company has unveiled the Scout, which is taking to the streets.

Amazon sends a scout on a mission

As detailed on the Amazon blog, Scout is a small offline shipping method. It is the size of a small cooler, powered by electric batteries, and travels at high speed. And, of course, it’s designed to deliver Amazon packages to people’s doors.

Amazon is testing the Scout first in one area in Snohomish County, Washington. A fleet of six scouts will deliver Amazon packages Monday through Friday during daylight hours. They will follow designated shipping routes, accompanied by an Amazon employee.

Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said:

“We are excited to welcome Amazon Scout to our community. As with Amazon, we are always looking for new ways to better serve our residents. From the latest Amazon innovations to cutting-edge technology, Snohomish County is a great place for entrepreneurial creativity.”

Amazon Scout is under development

Amazon reassures us that the Scout is safe, saying, «devices can move safely and efficiently between pets, pedestrians, and anything else in their path.» However, there are some fairly obvious problems with Scout deployments.

What happens when a Scout reaches someone’s door? And how does Scout know he’s delivering the package to the right person? Once employees stop escorting Scout, how will Amazon ensure safe passage? Because these things will be stolen and/or looted.

Clearly, Amazon has a lot of work to do before the Scout is ready to be deployed to any street other than a nice neighborhood in Washington. However, we are approaching the point where robots will do all the work, so it would be useful to acquire these skills,

Похожие записи