Report: Amazon scuttles ‘Scout’ delivery robot pilot
Amazon is reportedly ceasing its live testing of a six-wheel, fully-electric delivery device known as “Scout.”
According to Reuters, Amazon has confirmed that it is stopping an ongoing three-year of the Scout automated delivery robot. In an emailed statement to Reuters, the e-tail giant said the Scout program has not been completely meeting the needs of U.S. customers.
Although employees involved in the pilot program are being matched with other open roles at Amazon, the company does not plan to shut down its Scout project altogether. Amazon told Reuters it is reorienting the program.
Amazon Scout debuted in January 2019, delivering packages to a neighborhood in Snohomish County, Wash. The online giant later expanded the test to Irvine, Calif. Amazon then started delivering packages via Scout to select customers in Atlanta and in Franklin, Tennessee.
Amazon customers using the Scout delivery service ordered products as they normally would, and their Amazon packages were delivered either by one the company’s transportation partners or by Amazon Scout. The same delivery options were available, including free same-day, one-day, and two-day shipping for Prime members.
The devices autonomously followed their delivery route, and initially were accompanied by an Amazon Scout “ambassador.”
Amazon Scout delivery devices are built to be inherently safe, according to Amazon. They are the size of a small cooler and move at a walking pace. Each delivery device can navigate around pets, pedestrians and other objects in its path.
Rise of the delivery robots
Since Amazon debuted Scout close to four years ago, numerous other companies have piloted their own autonomous delivery robots. A few notable examples of retailer pilots follow.
Uber – Serve Robotics
Uber is partnering with autonomous sidewalk delivery company Serve Robotics to pilot an on-demand robotic delivery service in Los Angeles. Uber Eats customers in the Los Angeles area are now able to have orders delivered contact-free by zero-emissions Serve rovers.
Serve began as the robotics division of Postmates, which was acquired by Uber in July 2020 for $2.65 billion, and was spun off as an independent company in February 2021, with Uber as an investor. Serve utilizes the Ouster LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor to help manage activities such as navigating sidewalks and detecting pedestrians. Postmates combines its proprietary Socially-Aware-Navigation system with Ouster’s multi-beam flash LIDAR architecture.
Save Mart - Starship Technologies
Save Mart is extending a partnership with autonomous delivery services provider Starship Technologies to its Lucky California flagship store in Pleasanton, Calif. In September 2020, the Save Mart flagship in Modesto was the first grocery store in the U.S. to offer the Starship Technologies robot delivery service. The Starship robots can each carry up to 20 pounds of groceries (the equivalent of about three shopping bags).
Shoppers can access the “Starship - Food Delivery” app on iOS and Android devices to choose from a range of grocery items and drop a pin where they want their purchase delivered. Once an order is submitted, Lucky California associates pick the delivery items and place them in a robot whose interior and exterior is sanitized before each order.
Once the robot arrives, the customer receives an alert, and then meets and unlocks it through their mobile device. The delivery will typically take a matter of minutes, depending on the items ordered and the distance the robot must travel.
Unilever – Robomart
In summer 2022, Unilever deployed a fleet of Robomart on-demand mobile mini-marts. Known as “The Ice Cream Shop Robomarts,” the robotic stores offer products from Unilever ice cream brands.
Leveraging Robomart’s one-tap grocery ordering technology, consumers can hail The Ice Cream Shop Robomarts to their location using a proprietary mobile app. When it arrives, the user swipes across the app to open the vehicle’s door. Robomart’s proprietary, RFID-based checkout-free system allows consumers to retrieve their selected products and walk away, without having to physically check out or swipe their credit card.