Skip to Content
Artificial intelligence

The world’s first robot delivery service is launching in the UK

November 1, 2018

A new service has launched in Milton Keynes in the UK that allows people to order deliveries by robot.

The service: Residents can get parcels sent to a depot and receive a notification once they arrive. They can then get the items delivered to their door by robot, at a time of their choosing. A monthly £7.99 ($10) app subscription covers an unlimited number of deliveries. The service will launch in the San Francisco Bay Area by the end of the year.

How it works: Once they receive the location for a delivery, the autonomous robots (they look like boxes on wheels) navigate their way to the address. They’re able to cross the road and work their way around people or animals thanks to ultrasonic sensors, nine cameras, radar, and GPS. Customers unlock the robot using a personal code they receive through the app.

A first? The company behind the service, Starship Technologies, is far from the only firm working on robot deliveries. However, this is one of the first times it’s become available as a full-scale service to the public. And it’s gone through plenty of testing, with its robots clocking up 125,000 miles in 20 countries since the company launched four years ago.

However … Beyond the novelty factor, how useful is this service? Missed or late deliveries are a common headache, but is it worth all the extra steps and costs? Stolen items or vandalized robots are a potential pitfall too.

Deep Dive

Artificial intelligence

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.

And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.

OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora

The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.

Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.

Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.

Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch

Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.