The Yandex delivery bot | Photo source Yandex

Innovation > Work & Lifestyle > Russian company develops suitcase-sized delivery bots

RUSSIAN COMPANY DEVELOPS SUITCASE-SIZED DELIVERY BOTS WORK & LIFESTYLE

Yandex is piloting its own version of autonomous vehicles for deliveries across its online services

Spotted: Russia’s Yandex has announced the launch of an autonomous vehicle to be used in the future for unmanned deliveries. The suitcase-sized bot is currently being piloted in Moscow, at Yandex’s main headquarters and auxiliary offices.

The bot, Yandex.Rover, operates autonomously. For the pilot period, however, the company is keeping the bots under remote supervision. The Yandex.Rover can recognise objects, plan its route and stop for obstacles – including pedestrians.

Yandex.Rover uses lidar, a technology that allows it to calculate distances and travel in the dark. Lidar operates on a formula that determines distance by shooting out a beam of light and measuring the time it takes to return.

Eventually, the bot will be used for deliveries across Yandex’s services, including food deliveries.

20th November 2019 Website: yandex.com Contact: yandex.com/contacts

Takeaway:

The market for delivery bots in the food industry is expected to grow from €10.75m in 2018 to €30.7m by 2024. The Yandex.Rover joins several other efforts to create autonomous delivery bots, including Amazon Scout, which is being piloted for package deliveries. However, Yandex.Rover may be one step ahead in its food delivery service, as some countries such as the US have strict regulations for food delivery that prohibit this for now.