Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Jul 25, 2025

Delivery Robots Ease Shopping In UK Town

Delivery Robots Ease Shopping In UK Town

According to the robots' operators, the squat white machines came into their own when Britain locked down last year as coronavirus hit the country.

It's famous for its roundabouts and statues of concrete cows. But the English town of Milton Keynes now has another claim to fame -- a trundling army of shopping delivery robots.

The six-wheeled automated vehicles, launched three years ago, barely get a second glance as they ply the residential streets, some 80 kilometres (49 miles) north of London.

Numbers have grown to 200 in Milton Keynes and nearby Northampton, which introduced the service in 2020, with plans for as many as 500 to be in action in five more places across the country.

According to the robots' operators, the squat white machines came into their own when Britain locked down last year as coronavirus hit the country.

"Everyone was so in need of contactless delivery during the pandemic," Andrew Curtis, head of UK operations at Starship Technologies, told AFP.

The US company, which has quadrupled its deliveries in the UK, now makes 1,000 deliveries a day.

"Demand hasn't dropped off," Curtis said, adding that as stay-at-home restrictions were lifted, users became more willing to try the technology.

The company has signed a new agreement with longstanding partner the Co-op Group's chain of supermarkets, to provide 300 new robots by the end of the year and triple deliveries.

In front of one of the retailer's shops in Milton Keynes, which was the first to use the delivery machines in 2018, a dozen robots are ready and waiting.

With their antenna topped with an orange flag to aid visibility, they look almost like a queue of empty bumper cars.

Starship Troopers


An employee emerges from the shop and places the newest order inside one of the robots -- a small bag containing raspberries, yoghurt and a bouquet of flowers.

With its lid locked, the droid immediately dashes out onto the pavement. It turns and moves forward to cross the road before stopping, reversing suddenly to let a car pass.

Fitted with cameras, sensors and a loud alarm if needed, the robots -- first created in 2014 by the two founders of Skype -- are 99 percent autonomous.

But if they become stuck, an operator can take control.

Once launched, the robot navigates the maze of footpaths that wind between Milton Keynes' red brick houses.

When the way is clear, it can reach speeds of up to six kilometres (nearly four miles) per hour -- a little more than a reasonable walking pace.

Deliveries reach customers in less than an hour.

The Co-op said the use of the robots is environmentally friendly as well as convenient, with 70 percent of Starship's customers going without a trip in the car to a store or receiving a delivery from a fuel-powered vehicle.

Under the delivery system, the robots remain the property of Starship and orders are placed via an application they developed.

The company manages 1,000 robots, mainly in Britain and the United States but also in Estonia, Germany and Denmark.

The tech firm is not alone in the delivery robot race.

In the United States, for example, where it operates mainly on university campuses, it is jockeying for position with start-ups and logistics giants such as Amazon and FedEx.

A 'Godsend'


As their numbers grow, the wheeled delivery drones have drawn criticism from unions, who fear they will take jobs from people.

The debate has made its way into US town halls, which are tasked with deciding limits on delivery journeys and rules around sharing the pavement.

"Fortunately, we've not had any accidents so far," Curtis said, adding that in the UK Starship has obtained permission from local authorities for each of its operating locations.

The robot carrying raspberries, yoghurt and flowers continues its journey, hesitating as it encounters a gaping hole, the result of ongoing road maintenance.

Roadworkers look non-plussed as they put down planks to bridge the gap.

When the delivery robot finally reaches its destination, Sheila Rose, 71, walks out of her house and unlocks it with her smartphone, to retrieve her groceries and blooms.

"If I can use it, anyone can," she said, leaning on a walking stick.

"Because of my ill health, I have problems getting out to the shops," she said, calling the robots a "godsend".

The delivery drones have become so essential to the septuagenarian that some weeks she uses them everyday. "I've got great-grandchildren. And they love it," she added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
×