Adorable Co-op robots for just 99p hailed as the 'future of UK shopping deliveries'
Adorable Co-op robots for just 99p hailed as the 'future of UK shopping deliveries'
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They look for all the world like a visitor from outer space, or an intergalactic traveller from Star Wars. But the army of robots working in communities around the UK are being hailed as the future of British doorstep deliveries, and the greenest shop from home option to help save planet Earth.
It costs as little as 99p to bring shopping to your door, making them popular with the elderly, disabled and children; they play 'Happy Birthday', Merry Christmas songs and even 'I love Rock and Roll'. There are now around 500 Starship robots operating up and down the country, as far afield as Milton Keynes, Leeds and Manchester. The Mirror visited Cambourne Co-op, near Cambridge, to capture a 'Day in the Life" of the cute mini-workers going to and fro all day.
As the Mirror observes them using a drone and a Gopro camera, they wend their way through housing estates; wait to cross busy roads, often at pelican crossings; steer clear of wheelie bins and passing cyclists; and hilariously, navigate their way through crowds of primary school children making their way home at 3pm, dancing in front of them when they spot the camera on board.
Starship Technologies’ robots are the brainchild of Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who also co-founded Skype, before it was sold for 2.6 billion dollars in 2005. They have overcome many pitfalls during development, including theft, adverse weather, flooding, snow and vandalism to make millions of deliveries around the world. There are 2,500 worldwide; they are powered by electric batteries, and rely on artificial intelligence and onboard cameras to move around.
