It just might be that 'robot-dogs' will soon come to deliver parcels. German automotive company Continental AG has teamed up with robotics company ANYbotics to research the future of mobility and come up with a delivery concept based on it. They themselves see a lot of potential in it.
At CES, held recently is Las Vegas, Continental presented the concept. It involves a combination between delivery robots and autonomous vehicles. "The seamless integration of a driverless vehicle - in this case, the Continental Urban Mobility Experience (CUbE) - and a delivery robot allows for more effective and efficient distribution of goods," reads a press release on Continental's website. The CUbE, Continental's autonomous electrified development platform, is generally considered a solution for urban "first or last mile" mobility. This type of vehicle - often called a robo-taxi or pod - is part of the value chain for seamless mobility. The purpose of these vehicles will be extended to delivery of goods to further utilise available transport capacity and reduce idle times. "Market estimates show that the need for freight transport will exceed even the booming need for passenger transport in densely populated areas. With expertise in scalable technologies and solutions such as sensors, environmental perception and modelling, localisation, positioning, situation analysis, decision making and mechatronic actuators, Continental has the solutions and know-how to meet this need."
"With robot delivery, Continental's vision for seamless mobility can be extended to the front door. Our vision for tiered robot delivery involves a driverless vehicle to transport delivery robots, creating an efficient transport team," said Ralph Lauxmann, head of Systems & Technology, Chassis & Safety division, Continental. "Both are electrified, both are autonomous and both can basically be based on the same scalable technology. These synergies create exciting potential for holistic delivery concepts that use similar solutions for different platforms."
Urban delivery
Goods and parcel delivery to residential areas is a growing and dynamic market, and is driven by e-commerce sales that are increasing every year. "With the growth of this segment, hourly shipping costs are gaining importance. This makes last mile and delivery services distinctive. Automated delivery of goods is expected to be an answer for up to 80 per cent of all business-to-consumer deliveries."
The idea is that the CUbE will soon transport one or more delivery robots (which look something like dogs) and deploy them to take care of the last part of the goods and parcel chain. "Industrialising the automation of goods delivery requires reliable, robust, high-performance technology - a mix perfectly reflected in the automotive equivalent of automation. It is precisely this profile of expertise that has made Continental one of the leading suppliers of advanced driver assistance systems and vehicle automation," Lauxmann said.
Automotive technology
Car technology is being transferred and scaled up, so to speak, to meet the requirements of robot manufacturers. "The challenges for a delivery robot run parallel to what we are already solving in automated vehicles," says Jeremy McClain, director of Systems & Technology, Continental North America. "In doing so, delivery robots will need technology that is as advanced and robust as our automotive solutions. With the ever-increasing popularity of online shopping and the growth of megacities, unique parcel delivery solutions will be needed. Self-driving vehicles combined with delivery robots could be the perfect answer."
Smart Cities
Self-driving vehicles are a very important element in the Smart Cities of the future. They are considered by many experts to be a key element of future mobility concepts to solve the challenges of urbanisation. A driverless vehicle can be in use almost 24/7. Innovative urban planners see driverless vehicles as a valuable addition to public mass transport by eliminating the need for a private car to get to the nearest point of access to other means of transport. "During the day, there will be peaks in demand for unmanned vehicles. Outside those peak hours, the autonomous vehicles will mainly be used for robotic delivery."
In fact, Amazon has already started delivering parcels with a delivery robot. The so-called Scout has launched in Washington. For now, an Amazon delivery driver still accompanies it, but the robots are already able to choose their own route.
Source: Continental AG/The Engineer.
