A robot delivery service is being trialled by Tesco, as the supermarket joins Co-op in offering unmanned grocery deliveries to customers in Milton Keynes.
Tech firm Starship Technologies is now delivering online orders fromTesco Kingston Centre and Co-op Monkton Park to customers within a two-mile radius of the stores.
The buggies, which are 55cm high and 70cm long, can carry up to 10kg of groceries and arrive at shoppers’ doorstep unmanned within 15 minutes.
Equipped GPS tracking and sensors allowing them to dodge pedestrians and other obstacles, the buggies travel on pavements at a maximum speed of 4mph.
The vehicles can film attempted thefts and post videos direct to YouTube and customers are sent a pin code so they can unlock the robot upon delivery.
In addition, each robot is connected to the internet and fitted with a speaker and cameras so that human operators can see if it has been attacked and alert the authorities.
Tesco ran a one-off trial of the buggies in 2017, and Co-op has been trialling the Starship Technologies service since April 2018, extending it to hundreds more households due to strong demand.
Now the tech company is formally launching the delivery service from the Tesco store in Kingston Centre, Milton Keynes.
Starship’s marketing vice president, Henry Harris-Burland, toldThe Daily Mail: “It’s all the most popular items. Obviously Tesco coming on board is a fantastic addition to the offering for residents in the local area. This is the first time customers can order from Tesco and receive robot delivery.”
According to the newspaper an announcement from the company of a possible expansion to the service beyond Milton Keynes is due soon.
Starship Technologies is headquartered in London but has its engineering base in Estonia.
