We often see news in the media about companies testing the use of drones to deliver products directly to customers, the so-called last mile. This last stage of the supply chain is one of the biggest headaches for logistics managers, as carrying out this delivery efficiently, considering all the restrictions inherent in large urban centers, is a complex and very expensive task.
Thinking about it, the co-founders of Skype, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, created a start-up with the aim of revolutionizing the distribution market. A Starship Technologies is a small company, with offices in England and Estonia, that is developing robots capable of delivering locally within a radius of up to 5km (Figure 1). The robots are designed to drive autonomously 99% of the time and use “off-the-shelf” parts, in addition to being a green technology, free of COXNUMX emissions.2, as they are powered by batteries and consume less energy than most light bulbs.
Figure 1 – Starship robots
Source: Starship
The machines were designed to walk on sidewalks and have sensors that allow them to cross signs, adjust their speed and prevent them from bumping into pedestrians and objects, thus receiving the nickname of gentle robots. Furthermore, human operators who constantly monitor the starship robots can take over your control in case of any problem.
The robots are lightweight and very inexpensive, and the company's aim is to reduce current per-trip delivery costs by about 10 times, revolutionizing the way goods are delivered. The first versions developed support loads of up to 18 kg and move at a maximum speed of 6,4 km/h.
The idea is that the orders are stored in hubs spread across the city and, after selecting the delivery option on the mobile app, customers would receive their order within 30 minutes and could track the robots' entire route using their mobile devices. With regard to security, the robots move locked and can only be opened by the customer's smartphone.
The project is still in the testing and demonstration phase, but Starship expects to already create pilot services with partner companies in the United States and United Kingdom next year.
Despite all the technological advances already achieved, imagining the use of drones and delivery robots like these on a large scale still seems like the reality of the distant future, taken from an episode of the cartoon The Jetsons. When we think of Brazil, where not even the most traditional modes of transport have adequate infrastructure and we see reports of cargo trucks being stolen all the time, this scenario seems utopian. Will companies like Starship really achieve this revolution? Waiting for the scenes of the next episodes!
References
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEWfsVPqKi4>
Fernanda Monteiro
More than 11 years of experience in training and consultancy projects, focusing on Logistics and Supply Chain. In consultancy, he carried out projects such as Transformational Logistics Plan, Diagnosis of logistics operations, Strategy and Calendarization of Transport Operations, Measuring the Cost of Serving, Market Study, Mapping of Inventory Reduction Opportunities, Review of the S&OP Process, Management Plan Training and Implementation of Commercial Processes in companies such as Nestlé, Raia Drogasil, Ipiranga, Lojas Americanas, B2W, Coca-Cola, Andina, Embraco, Martins Atacado, Loja do Mecânico, Santo Antônio Energia, Ecoporto and Silimed. She is currently one of the teachers of the Inventory Management Course taught every six months by ILOS. She worked on the development and management of Online Courses in Logistics and Supply Chain, Supply Processes, Demand Planning, Inventory Management and Industrial Management. Still in the training area, she was responsible for applying ILOS business games in companies such as Raia Drogasil, Fibria, NEC, Novartis and Moove.
