Sidewalk Delivery Bots See Unprecedented Demand Amid Pandemic
Last-mile sidewalk delivery robot companies like Starship and Kiwibot are experiencing major surges in demand as consumers seek touchless delivery options during the pandemic.
Autonomous sidewalk delivery bots are experiencing a major surge in demand as the pandemic drives consumers toward touchless delivery options. Companies like Starship and Kiwibot report that they are scrambling to build new robots and expand their services into new areas to handle this unprecedented interest.
These small robotic delivery vehicles offer an ideal use case for autonomous driving technology because they navigate low-speed, pre-mapped routes at a low operating cost. While they have been active on college campuses for years, the current health crisis is pushing them into broader neighborhoods and commercial areas to keep human drivers out of the direct delivery loop.
Major logistics corporations are also accelerating their own robotic programs to capitalize on this shift in consumer behavior. Amazon is actively testing its Scout bot in multiple states, and FedEx is pushing its SameDay robot, signaling that the demand for contactless delivery is a permanent shift rather than a temporary fix.