Delivery robots to go on trial in Stevenage

Proposals to trial delivery robots on the footways and pavements of Stevenage have been outlined at a council meeting.

The robots – which are about 70cm (28 in) in length and can carry the equivalent of two shopping bags – travel at a walking speed of up to four miles an hour.

Typically, they are used for the “last-mile” delivery of groceries, small parcels, take-away food or pharmacy goods – already operating in a small number of locations across the UK, including Milton Keynes.

During the trial, the robots will operate within a geo-fenced area of Stevenage, in Hertfordshire, which will be mapped to account for safety, accessibility, rights of way and land ownership.

A meeting of Hertfordshire County Council’s highways cabinet panel was told the autonomous machines navigate with the use of cameras, sensors and GPS, and could even cross the road independently – asking passers-by to help them activate a pedestrian crossing, if needs be.

Depending on the outcome of the trial, to start in late summer, the robots could then be rolled out to other areas of the county too.

As well as focusing on the safety and operational performance of the autonomous robots, the trial will consider public perception, transport and environmental benefits.

And according to officials, it will help to build an understanding of whether the technology can support local deliveries, reduce short car trips, improve access for mobility-impaired residents and help carers.

County council officials said the trial would enable Hertfordshire to test the technology in a “controlled, reversible and evidence-led manner”.

They say it will support “the council’s ambitions around innovation, decarbonisation and improved accessibility”.

The cost of the trial would be met by the operator, Starship Technologies, which currently operates the robots in Milton Keynes, Northampton, Cambridgeshire, Leeds, Bedfordshire, as well as in areas of the United States, Finland and Estonia.

However, the county council would retain the right to pause or terminate the trial at any point, should safety, accessibility or compliance concerns arise.

At the meeting, the move – which does not require the backing of the county council – was welcomed by county councillors from all political parties.

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