Related Articles Self-driving delivery robots may be on the way to Menlo Park

REDWOOD CITY — Starting in a few weeks, people walking in Redwood City will notice something strange underfoot: six-wheeled robots delivering food, groceries and packages in the downtown area.

By early 2017, there will be as many as 20 of the robots, or personal delivery devices, cruising the sidewalks as part of a ninth-month pilot program approved this month between the city and a European company launched in 2014 by two co-founders of Skype.

The name of the company is Starship Technologies, which is fitting, since the robots look like friendlier, snazzier versions of the MSE-6 repair droids that scooted through the corridors of the Death Star in “Star Wars.”

The pilot project is one of two in the United States — the other is in Washington, D.C. — and the latest step in the company’s plan for a rapid global expansion. Starship Technologies, headquartered in London, has also approached Menlo Park and Sunnyvale about a pilot project, conducted an autonomous driving test with its robots over the summer in Silicon Valley and performed testing this fall in Redwood City.

“In the future,” said Starship spokesman Henry Harris-Burland, “there will be thousands and thousands of robots in thousands of cities around the world doing on-demand deliveries for a dollar or less.”

City officials are eager to see whether the robots reduce downtown traffic and parking congestion. The pilot program also provides a showcase for a city that is trying to rebrand itself as a key Silicon Valley hub.

“It shows both to the rest of the region and beyond that Redwood City is welcome to new technologies,” said the city’s economic development manager, Catherine Ralston.

The robots, which are about 15 inches high, can carry three bags of groceries and weigh about 50 pounds when full. Their maximum speed is 4 mph. They have nine cameras and proprietary mapping software that’s accurate down to an inch, according to Harris-Burland.

The robots are mostly autonomous, though they have remote operators who can take over when necessary. During the pilot project, they also will have human handlers trailing them on their journeys to make sure they cross streets safely.

The response from the public so far has been positive, city officials say. If the pilot program works, the devices may become a full-time fixture.

Desirae Smith, picking up lunch recently at Rock’nWraps & Kabobs, a downtown Afghan restaurant, said she’s not worried about sharing the sidewalk with robots. She figures they are more aware of their surroundings than a person staring at a smartphone.

“I just hope people don’t mess with them and ruin it for everyone,” said Smith, 36.

Starship Technologies has not had any problems with theft or vandalism, said Harris-Burland. The robots’ storage compartments are locked during delivery, and there are alarms that blare if someone tries to grab a robot.

There are about a half-dozen companies that aim to manufacture delivery robots, but Starship Technologies is the first one to market, he said.

Other technology, of course, is on the way. Amazon is planning to launch a fleet of aerial delivery drones, but Harris-Burland believes that service may be better suited to rural areas than dense urban environments.

“You have to be socially acceptable in order to be successful,” he said, “and do people want aerial drones flying over their heads and flying over their houses when their kids are playing in the yard?”

The answer, at least according to Redwood City resident Charles Clark, is “no.” Clark, who was reading a newspaper outside the San Mateo County History Museum, said he prefers robots that stay on the ground.

“Stuff buzzing around and things falling out of the sky randomly?” he said, “it just sounds like a dumb idea.”