This looks terrific. Amazon has been developing its Scout robot in-house for some time after making a small acquisition of a company who originally developed them. They look identical to the original machine, albeit with the well known Prime logo.
“Currently, in Amazon’s trial, the robots are always accompanied by human assistants. Those assistants — and they probably look a bit like robot dog walkers as they trot through the neighborhood — are currently the ones who are taking the packages out of the robot when they arrive at their destination and put it on the customers’ doorsteps. For now, that also means the customers don’t have to be home, though chances are they will have to be once this project rolls out to more users.”
Via TechCrunch
It’s fascinating to also read that they built a real-world environment to test the robots and combine this with computer simulations.
I cannot wait to see the Amazon Scout (and drones!) in the UK. However, my only concern is that there are some people who won’t be able to stop themselves from stealing them, vandalising them and generally misbehaving. Sadly this a reflection on society and especially so in Britain right now.
I’m hoping Amazon
Can you provide more information about Amazon’s Scout robot, including its main features and intended purpose?