Residents of Södermalm have reacted to the sight of determined self-driving robots rolling around seemingly on their own, which has sparked interest and fascination.
These robots come from the company Starship Technologies, which is trying to revolutionize last-mile deliveries. The robots are small and move mainly on sidewalks at walking speed. Equipped with cameras and sensors, they navigate and avoid obstacles, stopping for cars and pedestrians as needed.
About Starship Technologies
Starship Technologies was founded in 2014 by Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla. You may have heard of Janus Friis before, as he is a well-known successful entrepreneur who co-founded Skype with Niklas Zennström. Ahti Heinla also has a background as the chief architect at Skype. Starship Technologies has revolutionized delivery services with autonomous robots designed to deliver packages and local food. They have already completed over 7 million deliveries globally.
Collaboration with Foodora
In a collaboration with Foodora, robots are delivering food to 160,000 residents on Södermalm. This means there will be competition between robots and the current bike and moped couriers. Initially, there will be a small number of robots, but the plan is to increase the number and for Foodora to also expand to Solna and Sundbyberg. Susseem Jain, CEO of Foodora Sweden, says:
I'm proud that Foodora is the first to introduce robot deliveries in Sweden. This milestone is proof of our commitment to innovation and improving last-mile logistics. Our partnership with partners has been crucial in making this a reality, and together we're shaping the future of deliveries.
Autonomous Robots for Deliveries
According to GlobeNewswire, the autonomous last-mile delivery market is estimated to reach $18.7 billion and is expected to grow to $144.2 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of 23.1%. The development is driven by cost savings, increased urbanization, the desire to reduce dependence on humans, and technological advancements.
It remains to be seen how rapidly development will advance, as the future of autonomous robots is only just beginning.
