The COVID-19 health crisis in much of the U.S. seems likely to hasten the adoption of self-guided robots and drones for goods transportation. They require disinfection, which companies like Kiwibot, Starship Technologies, and Postmates are conducting manually with sanitation teams. But in some cases, delivery rovers like Refraction’s could minimize the risk of spreading disease. Recent market reports from Allied Market Research and Infiniti estimate that annual growth in the last-mile delivery sector over the next 10 years will exceed 14%, with the autonomous delivery segment projected to grow at over 24%, from $11.9 billion in 2021 to more than $84 billion globally by 2031.
As something of a case in point, Yandex says that in early February its Yandex.Rovers autonomous delivery program reached a milestone: 4,000 deliveries since April 2020. After launching at Yandex’s headquarters and the Moscow district of Skolkovo last year, Yandex says its fleets of robots have delivered documents, packages, and more to customers.
How Yandex plans to expand its autonomous robot delivery serviceRead More
