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In China, yellow robots deliver snacks to your home
BEIJING, July 18, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Along a quiet residential street on the
outer edges of Beijing, a yellow and black cube about the size of a small
washing machine trundles leisurely to its destination.
This “little yellow horse” is an autonomous delivery robot, ferrying daily
essentials like drinks, fruit and snacks from the local store to the
residents of the “Kafka” compound in the Chinese capital.
Equipped with a GPS system, cameras and radar, the robots are seen by their
creator as the future of logistics in China, whe re he says one billion
packages will eventually be delivered every day.
Travelling at a less than overwhelming three kilometres (two miles) per
hour — a slow human walk — the robot has room for improvement, said one
customer as she removed a packet of nuts from its bowels.
“The weak point is that it cannot deliver directly to the door like a
human,” said the customer, who does not live on the ground floor.
“But it’s still quite practical. The robot delivers relatively quickly,”
she said.
The robot takes advantage of Chinese consumers’ love of cashless payments
and smartphone shopping.
China is the world’s biggest online shopping market with more than half of
its population making at least one smartphone purchase per month, according
to professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. This compares to 14
percent in the rest of the world.
Whether buying electronics or toilet paper, avocados or clothes, Chinese
are used to simply tapping a button on their smartphone and getting a home
delivery — sometimes several per day.
To get a delivery via the “little yellow horse”, the customer selects the
desired products, taps in the address and pays via their phone.
The supermarket staff place the items in the robot, and the robot bustles
off.
– One billion packages –
MORE/MR/ 1052 hrs
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Liu Zhiyong, founder and CEO of Zhen Robotics, which manufactures the
robot, sees a bright future for his yellow creation.
“At the moment, there are 100 million packages delivered every day in
China. It will be one billion in the future,” Liu told AFP.
“There will not be enough humans to make the deliveries. We need more and
more robots to fill this gap in manpower. And to reduce costs,” added the
CEO.
These costs are especially high in the last kilometre of a delivery, where
precision is key and a customised service is required to get the product to
the front door.
At the moment, the yellow robots in the Kafka compound have little to
trouble them, moving along a wide pavement with no obstacles — and no cars.
Weighing 30 kilograms (around 65 pounds) and with a theoretical top speed
of 12 kilometres per hour on their six wheels, the robots have four cameras
constantly scanning the world around them and a laser tele-detection system
allowing them to avoid obstacles.
Liu’s firm has already signed up Suning, a large electronics firm that also
runs a network of small supermarkets.
But not everyone is convinced the robots are a long-term logistics
solution.
Shao Zhonglin, former deputy secretary-general of the China Express
Association, noted they were useful “over a short range”.
“It’s not certain however that they can be a broad solution for the final
kilometre of delivery. Because the client still has to come down to get his
package,” added Shao. “Plus the costs remain quite high: buying and
maintaining the robots, operating costs, etc.”
– ‘Not resellable’ –
But Zhen Robotics is convinced the costs will come down over time.
CEO Liu also says the robot will soon be equipped with the necessary
technology to operate a lift, meaning it will no longer be confined to
ground-floor deliveries.
In the meantime, deliveries in China are increasingly being made by
autonomous means. In recent months, several firms have received the green
light to operate drones, either to deliver directly to the customer or to
ferry goods between hubs.
And Liu has a warning for anyone trying to vandalise or steal the yellow
robot.
“With GPS, we are constantly tracking them, cameras are filming and it can
sound an alarm,” he said.
“Anyway, what would a thief do with it? It’s not exactly resellable.”
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1052 hrs