Online shopping is a habit that many of us enjoy indulging in, but making sure you’re in to receive your delivery can be a struggle, resulting in the dreading ‘sorry you weren’t home’ leaflet.
But that struggle could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new driverless delivery robot.
The robot, dubbed Kar-go, doesn’t rely on a human driver, and can deliver your package directly to your location, rather than to your home, which could help to prevent missed deliveries.
Users can order the robot via an Uber-like app, with their delivery sent to them in a matter of hours.
Once it's loaded up with packages, the robot can then rearrange the parcels inside based on their size, as well as the order they'll be delivered in.
William Sachiti, the man behind Kar-go, said: “While long-haul costs are small per package, the cost to the retailer for delivering a package the last short distance to the customer can currently exceed thirty per cent of the shopping cart value.
“And this cost can increase dramatically for a missed delivery, not to mention the inefficient nature of current delivery networks and staffing, as demand grows.”
The robot made its worldwide debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed Future Lab this week, where it made a lap of the site, much to the delight of attendees.
The bright green robot measures around two metres in length, and is dotted with LED lights to ensure it’s visible.
Unlike rival delivery bots, which currently have to travel on pavements, the developers believe that Kar-go could travel on roads, making it much faster and easier to use in urban environments.
The team has now launched its next investment round, although it remains unclear when Kar-go could hit the roads.
