Boston Dynamics Tests Spot as Package Delivery Robot
Boston Dynamics is testing Spot, its four-legged robot, as a delivery worker that rides along in trucks and hops out to carry packages to customers’ doorsteps. The company aims to automate the final 50 feet of logistics, known as the "porch gap."
Details:
- Functionality: Spot carries packages on a conveyor belt mounted on its back, walks up to houses, and rotates the belt to set them down.
- Advantages: Legged robots like Spot can navigate curbs, stairs, gravel, snow, and ice better than wheeled delivery robots or drones.
- Payload: The robot can carry two parcels at a time, covering at least 60% of packages in an average delivery van.
- Goal: Boston Dynamics aims for a full pilot where Spot works alongside a driver to deliver 200 packages a day, five days a week.
Competition and Challenges:
DoorDash has already deployed its autonomous robot, Dot, for some deliveries in Arizona, but Dot lacks stair-climbing capability.
Automating the "porch gap" presents challenges like loading deliveries into vehicles and navigating doorsteps effectively.
Spot’s cost is approximately $75,000, so the economic viability of its use for package delivery depends on route efficiency and potential premium pricing for faster, driverless service.