Even for a region that’s known for its high-performance engineering, innovation and forward thinking, it was still something of a leap of faith to accept the now-familiar delivery robots that exist happily side by side with the people of Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes.
Starship robots are advanced autonomous devices that can carry items over short distances, enabling a new era of instant delivery that works within the schedules of both the supplier and the consumer to provide an efficient service at much lower costs.
Parcels, groceries and food are directly delivered from stores, at the time that the customer requests via a mobile app. Once ordered, the robot’s entire journey and location can be monitored on a smartphone.
Launched in 2014 by Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies operates its robots in several cities across the world completing tens of thousands of autonomous deliveries every day. In the UK, back in 2018, Milton Keynes was the first place to invite Starship robots onto its streets; with services starting in Northampton, then Wellingborough, Rushden and Higham Ferrers, in 2020.
Early links with Co-op and Tesco, as well as small retailers, mean deliveries are mainly food and groceries, but since it is estimated that around 75% of most e-commerce deliveries would fit in a Starship robot, the face of home delivery looks certain to be completely transformed very soon.
Andrew Curtis, Head of UK Operations at Starship Technologies, is excited about the way the robots have been accepted by the public and predicts a major uptake in towns and cities across the UK over the next 12 months.
“Four years ago, when Starship Technologies were looking to get the robots onto UK streets, it was a big deal going to a local authority and asking them if we could introduce autonomous robots, so it was very forward thinking of Milton Keynes that they actually approached us to ask they could be involved,” said Andrew.
“Milton Keynes is an innovative city, there’s so much happening in this region in terms of new technology and it is perfectly laid out for an autonomous robots service. There are Starship robots in big cities all over the world, so we’re geared up for any situation, but it was good to have a first regular UK base somewhere like Milton Keynes – and to be able to launch as a fully operational service, rather than simply running a trial.
“At the same time, although it was great that Milton Keynes wanted to be involved, there’s no point having robots and nothing to deliver and so we needed to find a retailer to come on board to get the scheme rolling.”
As chance would have it, next to Starship Technologies’ Milton Keynes hub at the time was a Co-op store. The Co-op agreed to get involved and soon the robots were out on the streets. Their success has been obvious, with a generally positive reaction from the public – as demonstrated by their regular appearances on social media – and growing confidence that the robots pose no inconvenience or threat.
Designed to come up to around an adult’s knee height and be no wider than an average person, the autonomous robots move at walking pace and automatically stop at any obstacles. Their compact shape and size soon dispelled any preconceptions anyone had, based on sci-fi films about androids taking over the local neighbourhoods, and the fact that they run on green electricity means that each delivery uses around the same amount of energy as it takes to boil a kettle.
Retailers are invited to find out more about having robots available to complete deliveries and it’s an increasingly attractive proposition, particularly at a time when we can all see the benefit of being able to replace short journeys in a car to pick up a couple of items of shopping or a takeaway with a sustainable, energy-efficient means of delivery.
Andrew Curtis said:
“I have worked in logistics for some time and I know that the last mile of any delivery is the most expensive and the worst for the environment. Also, delivery firms have a dilemma every time they turn up with a parcel and the recipient isn’t at home. Leaving it on a doorstep means it could be stolen, but taking it back to the depot for redelivery effectively doubles the cost. With Starship robots, the delivery doesn’t begin until the recipient activates it.”
Once an order is placed via the app, delivery items are placed in the cargo bay, which is mechanically locked throughout the journey and can be opened only by the recipient using their smartphone app. The location of the robots is tracked on the app, so customers know exactly the location of their order and the time of arrival. The robots are fitted with an alarm that sounds if there’s any unwarranted interference with their journey.
Food, medicine and grocery orders are processed immediately, but even where the Starship robots are carrying e-commerce packages, the robot’s journey will not begin until the recipient has been notified and has activated the delivery knowing they will be at home.
“Most of us, when we order something, want it to be delivered when we’re in and when it suits us and we believe that one day, that will apply to everything,” said Andrew.
“We’re getting used to being able to order what we want for fast delivery, and, increasingly, to expect it to be available 24 hours a day. It’s not feasible having vans and motorbikes turning up with deliveries in the middle of the night, but you could certainly do that with the Starship robots.
“Although the robots work autonomously, because Starship Technologies has sites in all time zones, there is always someone available should any issues occur, so round-the-clock services are definitely a possibility for the future.
“New sites in Bedford and Pangbourne in Cambridgeshire came on board recently and it is our goal and vision to have robots in many more cities and towns across the UK by this time next year.”
To find out more visit Starship Technologies.
