Germany: Package delivery companies testing autonomous delivery systems

22.12.2016

Germany: Package delivery companies testing autonomous delivery systems
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 22 Dec 2016, online:-
In Germany a number of package delivery companies are developing autonomous package delivery systems to help meet rising demand from e-commerce deliveries. The total volume of parcels is expected to double in Germany by 2025. German delivery company Deutsche Post DHL and online retailer Amazon are all in the process of developing drone delivery systems. There are two main problems associated with drone delivery systems, the first being the large range of safety regulations they would have to comply with and the second being their cost. It is for these reasons that many believe that drone systems would be unsuitable for the mass-market. Delivery companies thus developing more cost-effective systems. Hermes, a Germany-based logistics company, and German electronics retailer Media Markt are considering the use of self-driving package delivery robots. A trail of this system is expected from 2018. For the mass-market however, experts have said smart-systems will work best when used in cooperation with a human delivery person. These systems would increase the efficiency of a human worker. The Swiss postal service has developed an Effibot system which can carry between 15 to 20 packages. Another possibility could be the use of self-driving pick up stations that would carry a large number of packages from which customers could pick-up or return products. Technology for such a system already exists, but such a system is not expected until 2025 at the earliest.
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