Starship’s delivery robots will soon be trundling around the streets of Washington, DC and Redwood City, California after the company behind the technology got approval for further trials.

The robots, created by London-based Starship Technologies, are designed to deliver small packages within a two-to-three mile radius. They operate autonomously 99 per cent of the time, using a range of sensors and mapping data to navigate their environment.


In a statement, Redwood City mayor John Seybert said the robots had the potential to reduce traffic and “allow restaurants and businesses to serve a greater number of customers.”

The six-wheeled robots were created by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, formerly of Skype, in 2015. Its creators claim it will be able to deliver two bags of shopping, weighing around 9kg, on short trips within half an hour of an order being placed. The aim, according to Heinla, is to cut down the cost for the last mile of delivery. "Everybody in the delivery sector hates the last mile," he told WIRED in November 2015. "It takes about £3 to £7 to deliver the last parcel. It is really, really difficult to get that done."

The robots are already being trialled in a number of US cities, including San Carlos and Menlo Park, while in Europe tests are ongoing in London, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Bern and Tallinn. To date they’ve clocked up 12,600 miles and, according to the company, have come into contact with more than two million people.

Starship has also partnered with Just Eat, Swiss Post, Hermes and Metro Group for small-scale trials in Europe. A full commercial roll-out of the delivery robots is planned for 2017.


When operational, the robots would be based at a local hub where items could be placed in them before a customer orders the delivery. A mobile app shows the progress of the delivery, with the same app used to unlock the robot’s lid. If anything goes wrong enroute, a human operator can take over the controls.

Anyone tempted to steal one of the robots might want to think again. The lid remains locked shut until it reaches its destination, while on-board GPS and a video camera should deter any potential thieves.

"In general, we've found that people are very positive about robots," Heinla said. "Robots reduce congestion, reduce emissions. They allow people to live longer lives at home."