Latest news with #MarcusHunter
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Your next parcel could be delivered by a robot DOG: Major UK courier service starts using four-legged bots for deliveries
It might not be able to fetch the paper for you, but a robot dog might soon bring you your parcels. Milo, the four-legged delivery bot, has started taking to the streets of Yorkshire as part of a new trial for delivery firm Evri. The robot dog has been trained to jump in and out of the van, navigate to customers' doors, and drop off packages without any assistance. Milo will be joining Evri's regular drivers over the next fortnight as they make their rounds in Morley, Leeds. Evri hopes that these robot co-pilots will take the strain off their human counterparts, freeing up more time for complex jobs like parking or navigating. If the trials are successful, Milo could soon be making more deliveries all around the country. Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri, says: 'We are thrilled to introduce Milo, the robotic delivery dog, and we're excited to see the trial get under way and see what we learn. 'This is a game-changer for last-mile delivery, and we can't wait for customers to see our couriers and their new robotic sidekicks in action.' Developed by Swiss AI firm RIVR, Milo is equipped with four wheeled legs that allow him to navigate the world. Parcels are placed in a box on the robot's back, which then takes them to the door for the courier to remove, or gently shakes them out onto the floor itself. Milo can see where it is going thanks to a system of cameras and depth-sensing Lidar scanners. Using AI, the robot can take this data and find its way around pedestrians, cyclists, and bins as it makes its way to the door. Before it ever takes a step in the real world, Milo has already been trained on millions of simulations based on real-world data. That means it already knows how to navigate various situations and avoid obstacles that it might encounter. The goal is to speed up what is known as 'last mile' and 'last 100 metres' delivery times. These are the periods of a delivery when vans approach their final destinations, but it is also a major source of delays, congestion, and emissions. Currently, drivers spend a significant amount of their time navigating between nearby drop-off points and walking back and forth from their vehicles. By pairing drivers with autonomous robotic companions, RIVR and Evri aim to alleviate this logistical bottleneck and ultimately eliminate the need for drivers to exit the van. RIVR says its ultimate goal is to create a world where 'robots can navigate sidewalks, open doors, hand off packages and communicate with people as fluidly as human couriers.' Marko Bjelonic, CEO of RIVR, says: 'By bringing autonomous doorstep delivery robots into live operations, we're demonstrating how technology can ease the burden on couriers, enhance delivery efficiency, and raise the bar for customer experience. 'We're proud to be launching this first-of-its-kind initiative with a partner as forward-thinking as Evri.' Evri is also planning to trial an AI-powered miniature delivery truck in Barnsley, Yorkshire, this September. According to the company, these trucks will have the advantage of being able to wait up to 10 minutes for the customer to come to the door. That could be beneficial for disabled customers who might find it more difficult to collect packages. The small robotic EV, developed by Delivers AI, will respond to customers who choose robotic delivery as part of a three-month trial. The robots will be able to make deliveries 24 hours a day, even through the night. Councillor Robin Franklin, Barnsley Council's Cabinet spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, says: 'We're incredibly proud to be hosting the trial run for this programme in Barnsley. 'This is an amazing piece of innovation that could revolutionise home deliveries and we wish Evri the best of luck with the trial.' WILL YOUR JOB BE TAKEN BY A ROBOT? PHYSICAL JOBS ARE AT THE GREATEST RISK Physical jobs in predictable environments, including machine-operators and fast-food workers, are the most likely to be replaced by robots. Management consultancy firm McKinsey, based in New York, focused on the amount of jobs that would be lost to automation, and what professions were most at risk. The report said collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. This could displace large amounts of labour - for instance, in mortgages, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing. Conversely, jobs in unpredictable environments are least are risk. The report added: 'Occupations such as gardeners, plumbers, or providers of child- and eldercare - will also generally see less automation by 2030, because they are technically difficult to automate and often command relatively lower wages, which makes automation a less attractive business proposition.'
Telegraph
a day ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Evri try out first robot delivery dogs
He will never bite the postman, chew the corner of letters or leave an unwelcome 'package' on the driveway. Meet Milo, the robotic AI delivery dog who will be assisting Evri, the parcel company, in trials in Yorkshire over the next fortnight. The four-legged assistant has been programmed to hop in and out of the van and deliver packages, lightening the load for couriers. Marcus Hunter, the firm's chief technology officer, said: 'Couriers always have been and always will be the heart of our business. 'In this next stage of innovation, we are thrilled to introduce Milo the robotic delivery dog, and we're excited to see the trial get under way and see what we learn. 'This is a game-changer for last-mile delivery, and we can't wait for customers to see our couriers and their new robotic sidekicks in action.' Robot can navigate safely Milo has been trained using real world data and is also equipped with cameras and laser mapping systems so he can navigate safely around pedestrians, cyclists or wheelie bins. By the time the robots are put into use, they have already encountered millions of scenarios in simulations so they can adapt to real-world situations quickly. Parcels are placed inside the box on Milo's back, and the robot then trots alongside the courier, who removes the delivery once they reach their destination. Milo can also bend down and tip out the parcel. The first trials are taking place in Morley, Leeds. If successful, more of the robots could be brought into use to support deliveries. The robot has been developed by RIVR, a Swiss AI firm. Marko Bjelonic, the chief executive, said: 'This deployment marks a major milestone – not just for RIVR and Evri, but for the future of last-mile delivery in the UK. 'By bringing autonomous doorstep delivery robots into live operations, we're demonstrating how technology can ease the burden on couriers, enhance delivery efficiency, and raise the bar for customer experience.' RIVR is also developing a robot dog with an arm that could eventually work completely autonomously. The company says its ultimate goal is a 'world where robots can navigate sidewalks, open doors, hand off packages and communicate with people as fluidly as human couriers'. It added that the robots would reduce the need for repetitive short-distance walking, which could alleviate driver fatigue and speed up efficiency. Currently, delivery drivers can spend most of their time navigating between nearby drop-offs, but the robots could allow multiple deliveries to be made quickly. Wait function to help disabled customers Evri will also be trialling a miniature AI wheeled truck in Barnsley in September for three months, with residents having the option of signing up for robotic deliveries. The company said the robot would have the added benefit of being able to wait up to 10 minutes for householders to answer the door, which could be particularly useful for customers with disabilities. The robots can also be deployed 24 hours a day, allowing for night-time deliveries for consumers on different schedules, or more on-demand services with designated time slots for consumers. Cllr Robin Franklin, Barnsley council's cabinet spokesman for regeneration and culture, said: 'We're incredibly proud to be hosting the trial run for this programme in Barnsley. This is an amazing piece of innovation that could revolutionise home deliveries and we wish Evri the best of luck with the trial.' Evri is Britain's largest dedicated parcel delivery company, dealing with more than 800 million packages each year.
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Evri to trial delivery robots in Barnsley
Parcels courier Evri has launched a trial for its new delivery robots in dog-like electric robots will work in tandem with human staff to cut down delivery fleet has AI-powered navigation and obstacle detection and will deliver directly to will play host to the robots for three months and if successful, they will be rolled out across the UK in the summer. Marcus Hunter, chief technology officer at Evri said: "It can sit at a doorstep for a number of minutes rather than, you know, the courier likes to deliver as quickly and efficiently, as effectively as possible."So, for example, if you were to take the case of somebody who's got a disability, it can sit on the doorstep for 10 minutes for that parcel."
