Amazon Scout is a 6-wheeled, fully-electric delivery device that gets packages to customers using an autonomous delivery system. It originally debuted in January 2019, in Snohomish County, Washington. Then in August 2019, it began delivering packages to customers in Irvine, California. Now, it will be delivering parcels in Cambridge as well. The company is currently hiring loads of people to work on the electric delivery robots at Amazon’s Cambridge Development Centre.
The small devices are designed to move slowly (walking pace) on sidewalks. The package is kept inside. When it arrives at the customers’ doorstep, a hatch opens to take out the parcel. Amazon Scout devices use sensors and cameras for navigation and route planning. The company also uses the data to improve the service.
Amazon said:
We created dedicated hardware and software labs in Seattle. These labs give engineers, scientists, and our operations staff the opportunity to quickly build and test the delivery devices. We don’t need to wait on external parts or software updates; we can rapidly prototype hardware components and write new code and are able to validate our efforts in real-time.
Now, the e-commerce site is creating a new lab in the UK. Online shopping took off during coronavirus lockdowns, and they’re expanding the program from America to Europe. It’s hiring dozens of new engineers to develop the autonomous delivery system suitable for the location.
Amazon said:
Our investment in this new Amazon Scout team in the UK, which will consist of dozens of engineers, is driven by our partnership with the Cambridge community and made possible by the talented people who live here.
The team we’re building in Cambridge will work closely with the Amazon Scout research lab in Seattle, US, to develop on-system software to help Scout delivery devices safely and autonomously navigate around pedestrians, pets, and obstacles found in residential neighborhoods such as recycling bins and signposts.
The trials in America are going very well. The customers love the robot, and nothing about the ordering process changes.
Amazon said:
One of our favorite parts of this journey so far has been witnessing how excited customers are when they see the delivery device for the first time and how they’ve welcomed Scout into their neighborhood. We have a lot of pride packed inside these cooler-sized devices and love to see such a positive reaction from the community.
We are happy to welcome Amazon Scout to our growing suite of innovative delivery solutions for customers and look forward to taking the learnings … so Amazon Scout can, over time, provide even more sustainability and convenience to customer deliveries.
Amazon Scout has already delivered thousands of packages (and smiles) over the last few months. The device has proven to be safe and effective at navigating obstacles (like trashcans and curbs) and weather conditions (like snow and rain). Plus, it has been super helpful through the pandemic since it allows for contact-free deliveries.
