METRO : tests delivery robots from Starship Technologies

METRO GROUP is launching a trial with the self-driving delivery robots created by the technology start-up Starship. The robots should begin delivering merchandise as well as other goods to Media Markt customers in the Grafenberg district of Düsseldorf from around the end of July.

A few weeks ago, children from the company kindergarten at the Düsseldorf METRO campus got to see what a parcel delivery might look like in the future when a futuristic vehicle with six wheels and a long antenna pulled up outside. The lid then opened up to reveal that the robot was filled with sweets. The Starship delivery robots will soon be seen on several German streets. Following the German premiere at METRO GROUP premises where there was no need for any special authorisation, the field tests in real road traffic are to take place later this year.

'With the Starship robots, we want to soon be in a position where we can offer our customers deliveries in near real time. At the same time, we want delivery to be as cost effective and sustainable as possible, right down to the last kilometre,' says Gabriele Riedmann de Trinidad, Group Director Business Innovation at METRO AG.

The delivery robots created by Starship Technologies are to deliver parcels, purchases and food to customers within a radius of around five kilometres. The robots can drive autonomously whilst being monitored by human operators in the control centre. Since the first trials began in Europe and the US at the end of last year, the robots have already covered a distance of more than 8,000 km without a single accident and have encountered 400,000 people.

'Speed and delivery at the customer's desired time are more and more important in our delivery process. This is why we are continuously testing new and innovative services that offer our customers added value and that enable us to get closer to them,' says Martin Wild, Chief Digital Officer of Media-Saturn.

At the same time as METRO GROUP, the Hermes parcel delivery company, the Just Eat food delivery company and the innovative delivery start-up Pronto.co.uk in London have been testing the Starship Technologies robots. As part of the test phase, dozens of robots will be deployed in five or six cities to make test deliveries in a bid to present the technology to the public.

About Starship Technologies

Starship Technologies is a European technology start-up which is building up a fleet of self-driving delivery robots with the aim of guaranteeing local delivery of goods within 30 minutes. Built using standard components, the robots are light and cost-effective and they enable a 10- to 15-times reduction in delivery costs compared to the current alternatives. The robots drive fully automatically 99 per cent of the time and carry out local deliveries securely and in an environmentally friendly manner. Set up by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship wants to revolutionise traditional delivery services. The company currently has 30 employees in offices in London and Tallinn, Estonia. Former Skype co-founder Ahti Heinla acts as the company's CEO and CTO. Technology entrepreneur Allan Martinson holds the position of Chief Operating Officer and Keith Cornell, expert in the technology and mobile communications industry, offers support as Chief Commercial Officer.