Starship launches 'world's first robotic milk round' in Milton Keynes
The milk round is making a comeback in the UK - and this time it's being done by robots.
Starship, a technology start-up based in London and founded by the creators of Skype, this week launch the 'world's first robotic milk round' in Milton Keynes.
The company’s six-wheeled robots are powered by electric batteries which can operate within a 4-mile radius and travel around 10 miles before recharging. The robots are fitted with 9 cameras and harness GPS signals to maneuver around obstacles.
The robots contain a large compartment that can carry up to 10kg worth of shopping, or three shopping bags of food.
They have been delivering plant-based milk made by organic health firm Plenish in a bid to highlight measures that can be taken for consumers to be more eco-friendly.
Homeowners are encouraged to avoid driving to their local supermarket to buy milk by ordering from their smartphones for delivery from a green robot, which scoots along pavements at around 4-5mph but can reach a top speed of 10mph. Users can track the whereabouts of their robot delivery from the Starship app.
"We are a future-conscious brand which is always looking to innovate,” said Kara Rosen, founder of Plenish.
Starship’s robots have previously been used by the likes of Just Eat and supermarket chains such as Co-op to deliver shopping to customers for a fee. Co-op employees picked items of an order and placed them in a box inside the robot.
There has been some concern about the way pedestrians will feel about a fleet of robots rushing around them to deliver food and drink to people's homes.
Last month, Starship had to pause the testing of its robots in the US at the University of Pittsburgh after safety concerns were raised by a student using a wheelchair.
Emily Ackerman, a PhD student at the university, claimed to have been "trapped" by a Starship robot "only days after their independent roll out".
She said the robots, which wait to cross the road in the lowered portion of pavements designed for wheelchair users, struggle to move out the way when people cross the road towards it as it "doesn't sense a clear path to the other side".
"I can tell that as long as they continue to operate, they are going to be a major accessibility and safety issue," she tweeted.
In August, Starship announced $40m in funding from investors in a Series A round, taking total investment in the firm up to $85m.
It also claimed to have made 100,000 commercial deliveries for customers, as it looks to expand its operations to 100 university campuses, such as Coventry and Warwick, over the next two years.
