The first home delivery robots debut in Spain | Technology

Starting today, Alcobendas residents will be able to get a surprise when making purchases through an application or a web page. “Congratulations! Your order will be delivered by our robot Pillar. Click here to find out more”, this will be the confirmation message that some of the customers of the Dia supermarket network will receive after confirming their order. Instead of traditional delivery people, users will take the bags from inside a docile-looking robot, which walks on four wheels along the sidewalks as if it were another pedestrian at a speed of five kilometers per hour.

It is the first time in Spain that autonomous robots carry out commercial tasks. The mobility company Goggo Network, responsible for the operation, developed a pilot project in Zaragoza last July to map the streets. But in the Madrid city of Alcobendas that process has already concluded and the Consistory has given the green light to start the robots after the approval of the safety tests. It thus becomes the first Spanish town, and one of the first in Europe, to have robotic delivery men.

In addition to Dia, the Telepizza company will also have an automated delivery man in this first phase of the start-up, for times of high demand. The deliveries will be made within a radius of two square kilometers in the center of Alcobendas with a total fleet of five robots, although they hope to reach twenty. Orders are placed directly through the apps or websites of both companies. When there is confirmation, the robot goes to the physical store where the staff opens the box by means of a code and deposits the order. Then, this 100% electric automaton, which weighs about 50 kilos, heads to the delivery address.

From the supermarket or restaurant to homes or offices, the robot moves autonomously or remotely depending on the situation. It is equipped with internal and external cameras and sensors that allow the environment to be recognized in real time, visualize in 360 degrees to detect pedestrians, animals or bicycles, among other obstacles. You also have to respect the mobility rules. If there is a zebra crossing on the route, for example, the robot sends an alert to the central office, where a Goggo operator takes control, looks both ways through the cameras and crosses. Each one has the capacity to work for 5, 8 or 12 hours, depending on the model. And before its battery runs out, the robot goes to the company headquarters in Alcobendas to replenish energy before continuing with its work.

Sara Nicolás, head of Foreign Affairs at Goggo Network, explains that the entire process is “the same as a traditional delivery” with a delivery man on a bicycle or motorcycle. “The only difference is that he doesn’t climb stairs,” admits Nicolás. That is, customers have to go down to the portals to receive their orders. And if they make a very large purchase, it will probably be a person who will make the delivery, since the devices are only capable of carrying a few bags; They will only be assigned to the order if the volume allows it.

While this technology is a novelty and arouses the curiosity of the population, it is not yet clear if it will mean a lower price for deliveries. The director of e-commerce operations at Dia España, Pedro Gallego, maintains that “there is no additional cost” for customers who have the service. On whether this fleet of wheeled robots will affect delivery men, who could lose their jobs, Gallego assures that there are still no figures: “It will have an impact on last-mile work, but it will not have an impact on employment in general”.

The company Goggo Networks also does not estimate the cost of the investment to bring the robots to the streets, but has assured that it will generate jobs related to the supervision and operation of the robots. Eduardo Uriarte, its Vice President of Technology, affirms that the business is sustainable as soon as there are about 80 robots in operation and adds that the company intends to expand to other locations in the coming months, as new commercial alliances are established.

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