Delivery company Hermes is to pilot the use of Starship Technologies self-driving delivery robots in Southwark, London.

Hermes Germany has previously tested the machines in three suburbs of Hamburg beginning last August.

The company has released a statement about the new project. It said, “Initially, the trial will allow the delivery firm to offer limited thirty-minute time slots for the collection of parcels, either for items being returned to retailers, or for items being sent by small businesses or consumers via myHermes. Moving forward, the robots could offer Hermes greater scheduling and tracking capabilities.”

The six wheeled Starship Technology machines have a payload capacity of up to 10kg and can travel at up to 4mph. They can be used within a two mile radius of a control centre where they are both loaded and charged up. In future the intention for them is to be ‘99% autonomous’, providing a system where one operator can monitor a number of robots at the same time and take control of one of them as required.

Carole Woodhead, CEO of Hermes, commented: “Starship Technologies is a highly innovative and pioneering firm. We are extremely pleased to utilise their expertise to explore exciting new ways that will further strengthen our portfolio of services and offer greater choice and convenience for customers. We can already see first-hand the success they’ve had with food deliveries in London, and we are excited to team up with them in a bid to revolutionise the home delivery marketplace.”

 
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