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7 hours ago
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It might not be able to fetch the paper for you, but a robot dog might soon bring you your parcels.
Milo, the four-legged delivery bot, has started taking to the streets of Yorkshire as part of a new trial for delivery firm Evri.
The robot dog has been trained to jump in and out of the van, navigate to customers' doors, and drop off packages without any assistance.
Milo will be joining Evri's regular drivers over the next fortnight as they make their rounds in Morley, Leeds.
Evri hopes that these robot co-pilots will take the strain off their human counterparts, freeing up more time for complex jobs like parking or navigating.
If the trials are successful, Milo could soon be making more deliveries all around the country.
Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri, says: 'We are thrilled to introduce Milo, the robotic delivery dog, and we’re excited to see the trial get under way and see what we learn.
'This is a game-changer for last-mile delivery, and we can’t wait for customers to see our couriers and their new robotic sidekicks in action.'
Your next parcel could be delivered by a robot dog as delivery firm Evri begins testing Milo, the four-legged delivery bot
Milo will work alongside Evri drivers for the next fortnight as part of a new trial in Morley, Leeds. Evri hopes the robot sidekicks will help take the strain off their human drivers
Developed by Swiss AI firm RIVR, Milo is equipped with four wheeled legs that allow him to navigate the world.
Parcels are placed in a box on the robot's back, which then takes them to the door for the courier to remove, or gently shakes them out onto the floor itself.
Milo can see where it is going thanks to a system of cameras and depth-sensing Lidar scanners.
Using AI, the robot can take this data and find its way around pedestrians, cyclists, and bins as it makes its way to the door.
Before it ever takes a step in the real world, Milo has already been trained on millions of simulations based on real-world data.
That means it already knows how to navigate various situations and avoid obstacles that it might encounter.
The goal is to speed up what is known as 'last mile' and 'last 100 metres' delivery times.
These are the periods of a delivery when vans approach their final destinations, but it is also a major source of delays, congestion, and emissions.
Designed by the Swiss AI firm RIVR, Milo is able to avoid pedestrians, cyclists, and bins as it makes its way from the van to the customer's door
Currently, drivers spend a significant amount of their time navigating between nearby drop-off points and walking back and forth from their vehicles.
By pairing drivers with autonomous robotic companions, RIVR and Evri aim to alleviate this logistical bottleneck and ultimately eliminate the need for drivers to exit the van.
RIVR says its ultimate goal is to create a world where 'robots can navigate sidewalks, open doors, hand off packages and communicate with people as fluidly as human couriers.'
Marko Bjelonic, CEO of RIVR, says: 'By bringing autonomous doorstep delivery robots into live operations, we're demonstrating how technology can ease the burden on couriers, enhance delivery efficiency, and raise the bar for customer experience.
'We're proud to be launching this first-of-its-kind initiative with a partner as forward-thinking as Evri.'
Evri is also planning to trial an AI-powered miniature delivery truck in Barnsley, Yorkshire, this September.
According to the company, these trucks will have the advantage of being able to wait up to 10 minutes for the customer to come to the door.
That could be beneficial for disabled customers who might find it more difficult to collect packages.
Evri will also be trialling a small robotic truck in Barnsley during September. The truck will have the advantage of being able to wait for up to 10 minutes for the customer to answer the door
The small robotic EV, developed by Delivers AI, will respond to customers who choose robotic delivery as part of a three-month trial.
The robots will be able to make deliveries 24 hours a day, even through the night.
Councillor Robin Franklin, Barnsley Council's Cabinet spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, says: 'We're incredibly proud to be hosting the trial run for this programme in Barnsley.
'This is an amazing piece of innovation that could revolutionise home deliveries and we wish Evri the best of luck with the trial.'
WILL YOUR JOB BE TAKEN BY A ROBOT? PHYSICAL JOBS ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK
Physical jobs in predictable environments, including machine-operators and fast-food workers, are the most likely to be replaced by robots.
Management consultancy firm McKinsey, based in New York, focused on the amount of jobs that would be lost to automation, and what professions were most at risk.
The report said collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines.
This could displace large amounts of labour - for instance, in mortgages, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing.
Conversely, jobs in unpredictable environments are least are risk.
The report added: 'Occupations such as gardeners, plumbers, or providers of child- and eldercare - will also generally see less automation by 2030, because they are technically difficult to automate and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition.'
