The last mile is always a challenge for the delivery industry Automotive corporation Continental teamed up with startup ANYbotics to combine the mobility of a four-legged, Boston Dynamics-style robot dog with an autonomous delivery vehicle. A vision of the future of delivery.
Robot dogs with Jobs
The concept is an unusual one: an autonomous vehicle pulls up to an address and spits out one or more smaller robot dogs, which ANYbotics calls “ANYmals,” to complete the delivery. During a live demo, the robot dogs climbed stairs and even rang a doorbell. If those types of advancements can be used to drop off meals or parcels, it could revolutionize the delivery industry. The idea is to find a solution for “urban ‘first or last mile’ mobility” to extend delivery “right to your doorstep,” according to a Continental press release. The company says deliveries could be made around the clock, even when “many people are working, at school or otherwise occupied.” A Distant Future : This tech is probably still many years out. We haven’t even figured out if we’re willing to share public sidewalks with tiny wheeled delivery vehicles yet.