Australia Hesitated, But Can Robots Deliver Your Pizza Instantly? | Robot

rZiping paths may seem advanced, but they are increasingly becoming a part of delivery jobs globally.

Retail and food industries are leveraging robots for various purposes. A hazard detection robot has been spotted in a Woolworths store, and virtual waiters are cooking in understaffed restaurant kitchens to serve hungry diners in recent years.

Abroad, particularly in states like California, robots are more commonplace in daily life. Following initial self-driving vehicle tests in cities like San Francisco, humans now share sidewalks with robots.

It’s similar to a wheel locker, as robotics partners with Uber Eats and DoorDash deploys an army of robots on Los Angeles sidewalks for take-out meals and groceries.

Delivery robots have also been delivering meals in Europe for years. Countries like Sweden, Finland, and the UK allow customers to summon robots through food delivery apps.

However, autonomous robots are still a rarity in the Australian market.

Legal “Minefield”

One of the main obstacles hindering this technology in Australia is the uncertainty surrounding the legal status and safety of delivery robots.

When Australia trialed a robotic “mobile parcel locker” in Brisbane in 2017, its effectiveness was questioned as it required human accompaniment and could only transport one parcel at a time.

In contrast to drone food delivery, the trial went ahead, but the legal status of robots remains undetermined.

Christine Eldridge, an attorney specializing in automobile accidents, noted that robots fall under various road and sidewalk regulations, creating foggy areas across states and local councils.

She compared the limitations faced by delivery robots to those of e-scooters.

The absence of legal guidelines for these emerging vehicles means they are commonly allowed in public spaces, except in certain council areas conducting trials.

“For instance, current laws concerning liability and compensation do not adequately address robotics. The law is struggling to keep pace with technology,” she remarked.

“It’s quite the minefield,” said Eldridge.

Hussein Deer, a future mobility professor at Swinburne University, concurred, asserting the current legal landscape is ambiguous.

“There is no legislation stating they’re permitted, nor is there any stating they’re forbidden,” Deer mentioned.

The federal government is working on a comprehensive legal framework for self-driving vehicles, including those transporting passengers, with regulations expected by 2026.

DIA aims to “accept more risks” with announced regulations to help Australia keep pace with overseas advancements and “demystify” technology for pedestrians and other road users.

“Evidence suggests that they are remarkably safe.”

Creating spaces where self-driving cars and robots can co-exist with pedestrians and drivers requires extensive planning, including adjustments to streets, sidewalks, and terrain.

Moreover, utilizing a robot mandates adherence to slow speeds, generally below 10 km/h, combined with various sensors to detect obstacles and potential hazards, halting the device accordingly.

Reducing Pollution, Traffic, and Labor Costs

Once challenges are addressed, delivery robots can offer substantial advantages.

“In city centers, vehicles that pollute and exacerbate traffic can be substituted, freeing up parking spaces.”

Professor Michael Bell from the Institute for Transport and Logistics at the University of Sydney believes that Australia trails behind in utilizing delivery robots compared to densely populated foreign cities with simpler terrain. He noted that agriculture and mining are currently leading the way for robotics in Australia.

The attractiveness of delivery robots lies in their potential to lower labor costs, streamline elevator navigation to meet couriers at high-rise entrances, and enhance efficiency in controlled environments like university campuses.

“Courier delivery is costly, so there is an economic incentive here. Any situation that reduces delivery time will be appealing,” Bell said.

Kate Lötel, an associate professor at the Peter Faber Business School at Australian Catholic University, anticipates that robots will lead to more affordable delivery solutions.

“In the end, we may witness a shift towards reduced or tiered service delivery based on whether items are transported by land, air, humans, or technology-assisted humans,” she stated.

“Initially, we may not see changes in costs but rather an increase in value for customers by addressing general inconveniences associated with deliveries,” she added.

Nevertheless, emerging technologies also bring challenges. As cheaper and more accessible delivery through robots and drones becomes a reality, researchers anticipate that Australians will have a higher junk food intake, affecting public health.

Local Innovation

The unclear legal status of delivery robots in Australia hasn’t stifled local innovation. Startups are focusing on implementing technology in private settings.

A group of student engineers from the Connected Autonomous Vehicle team at Monash University has designed delivery robots specifically for circumscribed areas, including campuses, industrial parks, shopping centers, and hospitals.

A robot named Ari operates at speeds up to 6 km/h and stands around 1 meter tall, equipped with a set of camera-like sensors for navigation.

ARIs utilize these sensors for communication, moving between restaurants where employees load orders to customers, eliminating the need for a stable internet connection.

This setup entails significant initial costs in deploying a network of sensors, but it ultimately leads to lower costs for individual robots, making them easier to scale.

The notion is that in high-density environments, multiple cameras can be installed simultaneously, making it more economical as demand rises.

Moreover, ARI boasts features that its creators trust in.

The heated and cooled compartments enable each ARI robot to deliver multiple orders while maintaining the appropriate temperatures. This ensures that pizza arrives hot, ice cream stays frozen, and medicine arrives safely.

ARI has begun distributing foods like burgers and burritos throughout Monash University’s Clayton campus, with plans to commercialize the technology underway.

More than just labor savings, 24-year-old inventor John Bui noted that temperature-controlled compartments give ARIs an edge over competing robots and traditional delivery personnel.

“Imagine receiving a hot coffee or warm burrito,” Bui expressed.

Ultimately, beyond legal and technical limitations, behavioral and psychological factors also pose significant barriers to the adoption of delivery robots.

“There is already tension between pedestrians and e-scooter riders; it’s expected that someone walking late at night might confront a delivery robot while picking up pizza,” Deer suggested.

“Of course, there are locks to protect the food, but I hope people treat these robots with respect.”