Autonomous Robots - Shipping Robots

Have you ever ordered an item online and got it shipped to you? For example, ordering clothes through the app Zalora or items from Qoo? Usually, you would receive it from someone whose job is to send shipments right to your doorstep.

But what if, after opening the door, you see a robot instead? In this digital age, instead of people, futuristic developments have been made and why can’t having autonomous robots send items be one of them?

##What are autonomous robots?## Autonomous robots are robots that robots that are capable of executing tasks successfully without direct human control. A common misconception is that a drone is an autonomous robot, but as someone is controlling it with a controller, it is not. These robots are controlled by coding or by AI usage, but are not limited to those options.

##What items could these robots send?##

These robots could very potentially send many things, not just confined to packages. For example, Woowa Brothers, an autonomous robot company, designed a robot called Deli to deliver food to people in indoor environments like food courts. Woowa Brothers aim to eventually upgrade Deli to the point in which it could handle travelling on sidewalks or city streets.

##Some disadvantages?## Having these robots developed and released will mean the replacement of many human jobs, for example delivery services. Many people will lose their jobs to these robots. Another disadvantage would be the limitations of these robots, like despite their capabilities in terms of object recognition and navigation, they don’t know how to react to unforeseen circumstances, like a freak accident or if it gets knocked over / damaged.

##Future Improvements## As of now, there are a considerable number of companies developing autonomous robots, so we might be able to see come of these robots in action in the years to come.##Courses if you want

In summary, despite their capabilities, autonomous robots still have quite a long way to go before they become an almost ‘flawless’ mode of delivery. Although they are scarce, the rapidly advancing technological age now could make them a big hit soon.

Further Readings

If you want to find out more on these robots, feel free to visit some of this links:

1. A blog post weighing the advantages and disadvantages of these robots.
2. Examples of robots that are in the process of designing and releasing.