Starship Technologies has launched an autonomous package delivery service in the UK.
Billing the launch as a “world-first”, Starship’s service uses a fleet of small robots to ship packages the last mile from a local facility to the customer’s home.
Customers can sign up to the service by downloading the app on iOS or Android. They are then assigned a local facility and are notified on the app when their package has arrived there.
From there, they can choose a time for one of the robots to deliver the package to a location of their choice.
The service is available in certain neighbourhoods in Milton Keynes. It has previously received investors from the likes of Daimler.
Starship Technologies was founded in 2014 by two co-founders of Skype, with Airbnb’s former head of business development Lex Bayer as CEO. It has previously received investors from the likes of Daimler.
Lex Bayer, Starship’s CEO, said: “Today more than ever, people lead busy and diverse lives. The hassle of needing to re-arrange your life for a delivery will become a thing of the past. No more having to switch your working from home day, rescheduling meetings, visit a locker, drive to a sorting office or contact a courier all because of a missed delivery.”
Lex added: “Consumers are in control – they choose when an order comes to their door and there’s no need to use a locker service to collect deliveries. We provide the locker and the delivery, saving time and making consumers’ lives easier.”
