Many companies big and small have been experimenting with autonomous delivery robots. You can now add logistics giant FedEx to the list. The company has announced its new FedEx SameDay Bot. It’s an autonomous robot which the company says will be able to make “last mile” deliveries more efficient. These kind of robots will primarily be put to use for short-range deliveries.
According to the details revealed by FedEx, the SameDay Bot runs on battery power and can reach a top speed of 10 mph. It’s capable of steering itself around traffic and pedestrians as it uses a combination of LIDAR sensors not unlike those found in self-driving vehicles.
The company will initially be using the robot to move packages between its offices at its Memphis headquarters once the local government gives it a green light. It will then decide based on the outcome of the trials if the service is going to be expanded to other companies and retailers.
FedEx does say that it’s in talks with several companies such as Pizza Hut, Walgreens, Walmart, AutoZone, and others to see if this kind of robot delivery will be a good fit for their business. The idea would be to eventually make the robot an integral part of its same-day delivery service.