arcxiii t1_is5frix wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:11 PM

They are used constantly on the college campus I work on. For short distances they seem to work really well. I don't think you'd be able to do city wide deliveries though these kind of small bots.

Enderkr t1_is5klww wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:47 PM

I agree, and same with drones. I think drones and/or bots should just be another tool in the kit, you know? If you can use drones to deliver out into the suburbs for 75% of your deliveries, great; saves the trucks and delivery personnel for the city where drones and bots aren't practical.

el_gee OP t1_is5g31r wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:13 PM

I'm super curious about these things, but have never seen one in person. I'd worry about accidentally hitting one if they were in my neighborhood. I also think half the dogs here would try and eat them lol

arcxiii t1_is5h3y7 wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:21 PM

They stop at crosswalks, sense when people or obstacles and can stop avoid them or call out. Some have accents. Ha. We had maybe 2 in the 4 years they've been here get hit by a car or destroyed. Haven't heard of any being vandalized.

el_gee OP t1_is5h938 wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:22 PM

Honestly, while I'm not thrilled about the jobs aspect, this is so cool too. Hopefully they do some trials in London so I can see one in person someday!

Dismal_Photo_1372 t1_is5klrb wrote on October 13, 2022 at 1:47 PM

If a job can be replaced with a robot a person shouldn't be doing it. We need to get over the idea that everyone needs to work forty hours to live.

Surur t1_is5mhyq wrote on October 13, 2022 at 2:01 PM

I've seen some in testing in London already, and that was many years ago (before 2016). I even took a photo. No roll-out afaik however.

el_gee OP t1_is5nt5k wrote on October 13, 2022 at 2:10 PM

I missed it by a few years :) I read another article about these some time ago and considered making a trip to Milton Keynes to order a pizza someday.