starship technologies plans to bring a fleet of delivery drones to the streets

starship technologies plans to bring a fleet of delivery drones to the streets 
all images courtesy of starship technologies

formed by skype co-founders, starship technologies is a european startup planning on building a fleet of self-driving delivery drones made to transport goods locally within 30 minutes. designed using readily available components, the robots are lightweight and low-cost, enabling the company to bring the current cost of delivery down by 10 to 15 times per shipment. 

the fleet will reduce CO2 emissions, and will create unprecedented convenience for individuals while opening up new opportunities for businesses such as parcel firms or grocery stores. the robots are intended to slip seamlessly into the environment, traveling at slow speeds on sidewalks blending safely in with pedestrian traffic. starship technologies are currently testing and demonstrating prototypes and plans to launch the first pilot services in cooperation with its partners in the US, UK and other countries in 2016. 

the top lid opens to fit small to medium sized packages

‘our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact,’ explains ahti heinla, a skype co-founder and CEO at starship technologies. ‘we want to do to local deliveries what skype did to telecommunications. with e-commerce continuing to grow consumers expect to have more convenient options for delivery – but at a cost that suits them. the last few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost. our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.’

the drones will travel on sidewalks the front sensors detects obstacles  the front face includes LED lights starship technologies will offer door to door services they will travel four miles per hour the service will include an app  destined to be used by grocery stores and parcel companies