The Chinese tech and e-commerce goliath Alibaba recently revealed its plans to launch 1,000 delivery bots across the country this year. But the company also took a dig at the human delivery workers these robots will be replacing.
The delivery bot is launched with an aim to tackle the “last mile problem” of delivery logistics, as per The Register, in which an otherwise smooth process is hampered by traffic, human error, and unavoidable circumstances.
Alibaba fed up with human couriers?
Alibaba is automating the process and testing the bots in college campuses and residential complexes rather than relying on human couriers. “Alibaba’s robots will be able to make the trip without deviations or smoke breaks,” reads the company’s blog post.
The company has also made some bold claims about the things robots will be able to achieve. “This final leg in a journey that stretches from the manufacturer to the buyer can flummox human couriers,” the blog post reads. “Delivery people can get lost trying to find a flat in a tower block or navigate a large housing estate.”
Near perfect accuracy rate
Alibaba says the robots can build up a comprehensive understanding of their surroundings while moving along the sidewalks. The company said the bots are capable of plotting the trajectories of people and vehicles and predict their movements -10 seconds in advance with a 99.9999 accuracy rate. That’s a huge claim as pedestrians and drivers can be unpredictable, but it shows how much faith the company has in its technology.
Recently, Boston Dynamics also provided a sneak peek into the workshop of the advanced Atlas robot. A video shows the robotics team highlights Atlas’s skill set that allows it to move similar to humans. The video also shows engineers working on the humanoid robot Atlas to make it smarter by adding new features. The Atlas team’s main focus is parkour, a training regime that involves an obstacle course.
