Russian Post Launches Fleet Of Futuristic AI Robots That Collect And Deliver Parcels Across Moscow
Self-driving robots like the one seen in this clip are now roaming the streets of Moscow collecting and delivering parcels to customers in several neighbourhoods of the Russian capital.
The futuristic postal system was implemented by the state-run Russian post service and the tech giant Yandex with support from the Skolkovo Foundation.
Russian Post announced the launch of its fleet of robots in a statement made earlier today, 25th October.
According to the statement, Russian Post is the first postal and logistics company to start delivering parcels using Yandex made unmanned delivery robots.
In the first phase, 36 rovers will deliver parcels from 27 branches in Moscow. The service can be accessed using an Android application with a starting price of RUB 1 (GBP 0.01).
The Yandex NV self-driving robot allows people to select robot delivery using their phones from 27 post offices in Moscow.
Russia Post said that currently delivery is carried out from four branches of the Khamovniki district but within a month this will be ramped up to 23 branches
The robots have a delivery radius of 2 kilometres (1.4 miles) and anyone within that radius will have access to them via the application.
An employee at the branch loads robot with the parcels after which the customer can track the robots live progress on the app.
Stanislav Chernin, Director of Innovation at Russian Post, said: “The explosive growth and development of e-commerce will inevitably transform delivery processes. Logistics is becoming the most robotic industry, where technologies change processes at all stages: from the first to the last mile.”
“Russian Post is open to innovations that make our services more comfortable for customers. We are happy to test one of the delivery options without human intervention, create and study in detail a business process.”
Artem Fokin, director of development for unmanned technologies at Yandex, said: “Our unmanned robots are already being used for a wide range of tasks, not only in Russia but also in other countries.”
One of the places outside of Russia that Yandex has seen their delivery robot operate is at Ohio State University where the robots deliver food to hungry students for GrubHub.
Fokin added: “The automation of parcel delivery by the Russian Post, one of the world’s largest postal operators, is a logical step in the development of delivery, and we hope to scale this technology further.”
Kirill Kai, Senior Vice President for Innovation at the Skolkovo Foundation, said: “The introduction of Yandex robots into the Russian Post is one of the brightest examples of effective ensuring business continuity, even during the period of epidemiological constraints.”