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Hi there,
I get to know when a package arrives not because of a call, a text, or the doorbell, but because a cat who lives with me – and thinks he’s a dog – raises an alarm every time there’s a shadow at the door.
Knowing how much this little guy detests all things that fly, he’d probably see drones as his mortal enemies. But I don’t think the question is if robots will deliver packages, but when.
As the demand for last-mile logistics skyrockets in Southeast Asia, the great big experiment featuring autonomous delivery robots has found serious takers. Global ecommerce giants are backing these bots to lower the cost of getting purchases to your doorstep.
Thanks to ecommerce titan Alibaba’s research and logistics arms, 1,000 of these unmanned machines are set to roam a few China’s university campuses next year. Two of Meituan’s driverless vehicles are already delivering food in some Beijing neighborhoods.
What’s stopping these delivery bots from taking to the streets and the skies in a big way? It’s not the usual suspects – tech or regulation – that are holding these bots back. The answer is more… human.
Our big story this week, written by Melissa Goh, takes an in-depth look at what the future of deliveries (and the bane of furry sentries) could be like.
— Nikita
THE BIG STORY
Delivery bots may arrive sooner than you think
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Ecommerce companies have been investing in robot couriers, and their efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
DEEP READS
1️⃣ Will GoTo’s SEA story entice enough investors?
TRENDING NEWS
STARTUP WATCH
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