In order to offer a more sustainable and efficient service, amazon In 2019, it started a project to distribute its products through a home robot that moved through the streets and went to the address of each person. A plan that came to an end.
The completion of these tests does not mean that it will go to another phase, but rather that the company paused the implementation because it found flaws in the process and will reduce the staff that is working on it.
“During our limited field tests for Scout, we have worked to create a unique cast experience, but have learned from feedback that there were aspects of the program that did not meet customer requirements,” said a spokesperson for Scout. amazon a The Registrar.
This does not mean that the company is going to close the project and forget about Scout, as the robot was called, but rather that the team of 400 employees who were focused on it, will now be a smaller group that will find a way to turn it into a Best service.
How did this robot do in its tests?
Although the company did not give an official reason why it paused the use of the robot, since The Registrar They assure that in the United States, where the tests were carried out, the light delivery system is already taken over by the postal service and what is really needed is devices that can move larger packages.
But in this context, from Bloomberg they assure that the company is going through a complex economic present, given the slowdown in digital sales that peaked in the pandemic.
The birth of this idea was given looking for “more sustainability and convenience for deliveries to customers”. For this, robots were designed, with the style of a cooler, so that they could move through the streets at a medium pace and thus not affect people, since they had cameras and sensors to identify humans, objects and pets to avoid them. .
Due to their size they could not carry very large orders, but it was for lighter deliveries in places like south of Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee.
Its mobilization was thanks to batteries, which according to the company, reduced polluting emissions compared to other types of traditional transport.
Another attempt that falls by the wayside
This is not the first time the company has sought to set up an autonomous delivery service. In 2013 he announced the addresses through drones, the so-called PrimeAirwhich was projected at five years.
A plan that was diluted, because it represented a challenge for the safety of air operations, so the investment of almost 2 billion dollars was not consolidated.
A scenario that could happen to Scout, that it had the intention of taking it to other cities in the United States by the end of this year, but that has now been stopped.
The competition tries too
Contrary to what was done by amazon, Alibaba ensures that its fleet of 500 delivery robots has delivered more than 10 million addresses this year. Although the difference of the Chinese brand is that its project was carried out in universities, where transit is easier, and its devices were larger, so they could have a greater capacity.
These types of ideas are already being implemented by other similar firms such as Walmart, Alphanet and UPSso this type of project continues to seek consolidation.
