Just five years ago, the topic of autonomous driving would’ve been viewed as something that will happen in the future. However, it is very much a reality today with multiples companies like Uber, Waymo, FiveAI and many others testing their autonomous wheels on the street. While the most we hear about self-driving vehicles in the context of ferrying people from one place to another, there are also some other uses of the technology.
The biggest Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijin is one such company that is employing autonomous vehicles to make deliveries. It announced its ambitious plans back in March this year by unveiling the autonomous delivery robot ‘Aitonomi.’ The delivery robot is being tested in a trial run currently and can soon be expected to be seen on the streets. Here are five things you should know about it.
What is it?
The autonomous delivery robot ‘Aitonomi’ is a driverless delivery vehicle developed by the Swiss-German technology firm Teleretail. It was first unveiled at the Digital Food 2019 Conference and it will be used by the Dutch supermarket chain to deliver groceries to a customer’s house. The vehicle uses the same technology as an autonomous car and it can reach speeds of up to 8 km per hour.
Where is it being tested?
Currently, the driverless delivery robot ‘Aitonomi’ is being tested in the confines of Eindhoven’s High Tech Campus. This trial run will apparently last two weeks and customers can order groceries via an app to receive it from the driverless vehicle. While the delivery robot makes it to the place all by itself, one will need to step out and collect their groceries out of the robot’s cart.