Most street-based delivery robots take the form of a compact, wheel-based vehicle with a secure compartment for the item that’s out for delivery.
But one major issue affects such contraptions: They can’t handle things like stairs, rough ground, or other challenging terrain, a fact that prevents them from trundling right up to someone’s front door.
Swiss startup Rivr saw a gap in the market and earlier this year unveiled Milo, best described as a highly versatile robot dog — similar to Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot — with a box on its back for for holding delivery items.
Milo, too, is on wheels, but its legs are so astonishingly versatile that when it comes up against something like a set of stairs, it just walks straight up (or down!) them.
Rivr is eyeing the last-mile delivery sector for the deployment of its clever AI-powered robot, and it’s just announced it’ll be using Milo for commercial deliveries in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, early next year, with details of a partner — possibly a parcel or meal delivery company — coming soon. Indeed, it’s already testing the robot there in some pretty harsh conditions:
The company tested Milo in Austin, Texas, back in May, with the talented quadruped handling parcel deliveries between vans and residential doorsteps, using its onboard cameras and LiDAR tech to navigate its route. The recipient can unlock the box to collect their item, though if they’re not in to receive it, the robot can slide it out onto the ground in front of their door.
Milo was also put to work in a couple of pilot programs in the U.K. earlier this year, loading parcels from couriers’ vans at the curb before delivering them directly to customers’ doorsteps.
Food deliveries using Milo were tested in Zurich, Switzerland, too, with all of these deployments showcasing the robot’s ability to cope with a range of obstacles.
“The robot is built to operate where people live — not just on sidewalks,” Rivr CEO Marko Bjelonic said in an earlier statement. “It senses its surroundings, adapts to changing terrain, and can deliver directly to a doorstep, even in complex residential layouts.”
Milo’s wheeled legs clearly help it to excel where compact mobile delivery robots fail due to their low-profile design.
Rivr believes Milo can work with delivery drivers rather than replace them, helping to speed up deliveries and reduce driver fatigue.
The company’s attention is now shifting to its Pittsburgh trial as it refines the technology with a view to rolling it out more widely.