Panasonic Pilotless robots for the contactless goods delivery

Main articles:

• Robots (robotics)
• Service robots

2020: Representation of self-moving pilotless robots

The Japanese corporation Panasonic announced on December 8, 2020 TAdviser that it began to use self-moving pilotless robots for delivery of different goods and necessities. The robot is capable to accelerate up to 4 km/h, and resembles superficially the small protected capsule in which it is possible to place orders safely. As a tribute of traditional Japanese love to "kavaynost" - big round eyes and with astonishment the raised eyebrows on a front part of the robot-avtomobilchika.

Panasonic tests pilotless robots for the contactless goods delivery

The smart city of Fudzhisava built in 2014 in the territory of the former plant Panasonic by consortium of 18 Japanese technology companies will become a polygon for testing. The robotic courier took first "steps" on city roads at the end of November, and full testing in other cities should start in February, 2021 when organizers get necessary permissions from the ministries and services regulating the movement on public roads.

The project should prove an opportunity and efficiency of use of robots for the contactless delivery acquiring recently improbable relevance. The pandemic of a coronavirus promoted the explosive growth of number of orders in online stores – since the beginning of 2020 more and more people began to shop online, to order home food and other goods, however labor shortage in a number of the industries, including delivery of orders, was a big problem for Japan.

Panasonic is also included into the working group integrating representatives of the state and private sectors and designed to promote study of the legislation for use of pilotless vehicles in the delivery services.

At the first stage it is demonstrated the independent robot on highways with the purpose to confirm a possibility of finding of the robot on the road and to reveal probable problems. Testing started on November 25, 2020 in the smart city of Fudzhisava, the southern residential area, and will last till December 24. The command center is in Shonan T-SITE building. The autopiloted robot is connected with command center on an Internet channel. The operator continuously watches the movement of the robot and a surrounding situation. At the same time the machine tries to do as much as possible without the help of the person, using sensors and other built-in systems for prevention of collisions and a descent from a route. If automation cannot cope with a situation, the operator can turn on manual remote control of the robot.

On the second test stage it will be demonstrated the goods delivery using the autopiloted robot with the purpose to confirm an opportunity and efficiency of this type of robotic delivery. The stage is planned for February-March, 2021. The field of delivery, the used roads and arrangement of command center will be defined later, based on the first stage. Also permissions from the relevant ministries and bodies regulating movement on public roads will be got.

By estimates of representatives of Panasonic, self-moving pilotless robots of Panasonic will provide:

• Decrease in load of personnel of the delivery services;
• Possibility of contactless delivery of baggage and products using the application on the smartphone;
• Interactive communication between the robot and the operator from command center.