As reported by CitiesToday, the City of Helsinki has initiated the second phase of a pilot program, employing an autonomous delivery robot to transport packages directly to residences in the Ruoholahti and Jätkäsaari neighborhoods.
Managed by the city’s innovation entity, Forum Virium Helsinki, the project forms part of an ongoing test that extends until the close of 2023, building upon a previous trial earlier this year.
Satu Reijonen, Project Manager at Forum Virium Helsinki, shared insights into this new phase, stating, “In this second phase, we are evaluating the same robot for emissions-free delivery of e-commerce orders. We aim to understand how consumers embrace this innovative service and assess its potential as the future of smarter logistics.” The HeRo robot, developed by tech firm LMAD, will conduct parcel deliveries on weekdays from 10 am to 7 pm.
Reijonen highlighted the preliminary testing phase in Kalasatama, where HeRo demonstrated functionality and gained public acceptance by delivering tools from Würth Center Sörnäinen to local construction sites. She emphasized the next step, optimizing delivery routes collaboratively and adhering to shared rules, potentially accelerating the industry’s shift toward emission-free logistics.
Forum Virium Helsinki plans to expand collaboration between logistics and customer bases in 2024, extending the deployment of these robots to larger areas within the city. This trial is an integral part of the four-year URBANE project, launched in autumn 2022, aiming to explore last-mile solutions in urban settings to mitigate traffic congestion and emissions resulting from urban logistics distribution.
Autonomous Delivery Gains Traction in the US
Serve Robotics, an autonomous delivery firm that spun off from Uber in 2021, recently announced a partnership with Uber Eats to deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery robots across various undisclosed markets in the United States by May 2023. Over 200 restaurants in Los Angeles are now utilizing Serve robots for Uber Eats deliveries, with robotic dispatches witnessing a monthly growth of over 30 percent since their launch last year.
Serve contends that delivery robots hold the potential to alleviate traffic congestion and air pollution, enhance the efficiency of last-mile trips, and provide customers and merchants with a novel and innovative delivery experience.
