New Yorkers got their first glimpse of FedEx’s delivery robot last week, when a prototype named ‘Roxo’ was given a day out in Manhattan.
But far from being welcomed by residents, the six-wheeled droid was promptly presented with a cease-and-desist order by the city.
A long-standing ambition for many tech firms, delivery robots is finally getting close to becoming a reality.
FedEx has trialled the bots in several U.S. cities including Memphis, Manchester and New Hampshire, before bringing one to New York City.
Although the robot’s trip out in New York was just a marketing stunt, rather than an actual trial, it has already attracted feedback from some residents – namely mayor Bill de Blasio.
Roxo the robot was spotted late last week in the Soho, Manhattan, neighbourhood, drawing attention from passersby, press and mayor Bill de Blasio
The mayor did not take kindly to the bot, telling FedEx the city would ‘send them packing’, making it clear the company would find it hard to secure the right permit.
He tweeted: ‘First of all, FedEx, never get a robot to do a New Yorker’s job.
‘We have the finest workers in the world.
‘Second of all, we didn’t grant permission for these to clog up our streets. If we see ANY of these bots we’ll send them packing.’
The battery-powered bots look like coolers on wheels. Cameras and software help them detect and avoid obstacles as they roam sidewalks and roadways at a top speed of 10 miles (16 km) per hour.
People look concerned as they try to cross the road at the same time as the robot which is using the zebra crossing
Roxo the robot was spotted late last week in the Soho, Manhattan, neighbourhood, drawing attention from passersby and press – it was promoting American Express’s ‘small business Saturday’ campaign.
Soon after this it was handed a cease-and-desist order from the New York Department of Transportation, TechCrunch reports.
Despite the booming internet economy is delivering more than 1.5million packages to New York City every day, clogging major roads with trucks double-parking, New York Department of Transportation does not seem to consider delivery robots a solution.
UPS, Fedex, FreshDirect and Peapod trucks last year totted up 515,000 summonses for parking violations in the city – up 28 percent on five years before – totalling fines worth $27million.
The George Washington Bridge is the main thoroughfare for delivery vehicles and is one of the busiest junctions in the country, with traffic speeds down 10 percent on five years ago.
Meanwhile, Amazon is building two million square space of storage space in New York, as well as a warehouse which will be the largest of its kind in the US, according to the New York Times.
FedEx has teamed up with DEKA Development & Research Corp, whose founder Dean Kamen invented the Segway stand-up scooter and iBot stair-climbing wheelchair, for its project.
Robots could become part of its SameDay service that operates in 1,900 cities around the world.
FedEx says they will soon roll out a fleet of stair-climbing delivery robots to take on ‘last mile’ package runs
The battery-powered robots look like coolers on wheels. Cameras and software help them detect and avoid obstacles as they roam sidewalks and roadways at a top speed of 10 miles (16 km) per hour
FedEx said it is working with its partners, which also include AutoZone Inc and Target Corp, to determine if autonomous delivery to them is a viable option for fast, cheap deliveries.
The ‘last mile’ to the home accounts for 50 percent or more of total package delivery costs.
FedEx has teamed up with DEKA , whose founder Dean Kamen invented Segway stand-up scooter and iBot stair-climbing wheelchair
Restaurants pay third-party delivery companies like Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub commissions of 10-30 percent per order.
Investors and companies are pouring millions of dollars into projects aimed at lowering those costs and overcoming regulatory hurdles.
For safety reasons, many states want autonomous vehicles to have humans as emergency backup drivers.
Starship Technologies, which has raised more than $40 million in venture funding, last year deployed robots to deliver packages in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In January, it teamed up with French food service company Sodexo to take Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts and Blaze Pizza orders to the 40,000 students at George Mason University’s Fairfax, Virginia, campus. That service costs $1.99 per order.
Amazon.com is testing its own delivery robot dubbed ‘Scout’.
FedEx rival United Parcel Service Inc is not testing robots – but like FedEx and Amazon, it is experimenting with drone deliveries.
Other tests include tie-ups between grocery seller Kroger Co and self-driving car startup Nuro, as well as DoorDash and General Motors Co’s Cruise Automation