Kinder SurpriseTM on wheels...
R2D2 delivery robots to scurry through the streets of San Francisco
An Estonian robotics company is trialling six-wheeled delivery robots that can trundle through San Francisco delivering goods to the local population. The robots are built by Starship Technologies, a company founded in 2014 by Skype cofounders Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla, and can trundle along at 6kph (3.7mph) delivering goods …
COMMENTS
-
-
-
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 20:17 GMT Voland's right hand
Why would Homeland Security
It can carry stuff. If it becomes popular enough for it to become inconspicuous this opens a whole range of opportunities for delivering "interesting" packages via both hijacked robots and jihadi robots masquerading as your common delivery bot. Both use cases are of definite interest to homeland security (or its equivalents elsewhere in the world).
-
-
-
-
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 21:45 GMT Anonymous Coward
The Boys In
BlueWhite are just going to perform their Duty with the occasional ... uh ... accident. -
Monday 26th September 2016 01:09 GMT Anonymous Coward
Screw the Jawas!!
I want to hijack a couple of these and make my own modifications.
Imagine answering your door and getting greeted with "If you ordered mushu chicken with hot and sour soup, I AM the droid you are looking for!" Or "Help me Obj-Wan, you're my only hope"
And perhaps a snide "What, no tip?" at the end.
-
-
-
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 12:27 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: R2D2
The risk isn't crims. The risk is lawyers. As soon as these R2D2notreally are let loose, somebody will be claiming that an R2D2notreally knocked them off their feet causing life changing harm. This being the Land of No Proportion (the land formerly known as the Land of the Free), there will be an army of lawyers willing to take on a class action case to achieve "justice".
-
This post has been deleted by its author
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 23:34 GMT Alan Brown
Re: R2D2
"somebody will be claiming that an R2D2notreally knocked them off their feet causing life changing harm."
Which will last as long as it takes for the first case to get to court and the company to play the onboard surveillance (from the 9 cameras, natch) showing it didn't happen, then countersuing.
This will be one of those cases where they LET it go to court, in order to make an example of the scammer and the scammer's lawyer.
-
-
-
-
Tuesday 27th September 2016 14:42 GMT John Brown (no body)
Re: Someone somewhere is going to take these as a challenge...
With nine cameras, yes, there;s bound to be some worthwhile electronics in there.
I wonder if this is a case of "i have a hammer, that looks like a nail" issue? Nine cameras and the associated processing power required to run the imaging systems seem like huge overkill for a mobile drone creeping along the ground that simply needs to avoid all obstacles. I'd have thought a couple or three cameras would be enough. There are all sorts of simple and dirt cheap proximity sensors that could do the lions share of the work.
-
-
-
-
Monday 26th September 2016 12:25 GMT FuzzyWuzzys
Re: The same goes for the Amazon Drones
"And therefore we're all scumbags. But you aren't, so If you visit you might possibly be used for target practice. Better stay where you are...."
No, I don't think that was implied in the OP's comment but the very fact that you flew off the handle with your mock outrage at the slightest provocation AND combined with the possibility that you might own a gun, that's what gives me the utmost concern!
-
-
Tuesday 27th September 2016 00:01 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: The same goes for the Amazon Drones
Yes, I do understand that both of you are concerned and fearful of people not under complete government control. Who knows WHAT they might get up to? Freedom, for instance. Very dangerous concept, freedom, and very scary for certain insecure types. But hey, that's why they invented totalitarian government, right?
-
-
-
-
-
-
Monday 26th September 2016 21:38 GMT Vic
Re: Passing resemblance to R2D2
Basically a dustbin on wheels then.
There are worse things than wheels...
Vic.
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 14:47 GMT ElectricRook
fixed hazards will be the real challenge
A wheeled robot can only navigate across a relatively flat surface. SF has some notoriously steep hills with sidewalks going straight up, some of the sidewalks even have steps. Then there's the curb, newspaper racks and detritus.
Aside from the Jawas, you'll have to make a human delivery point, and that human won't want to receive if the Jawas are watching.
-
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 17:39 GMT Camilla Smythe
Re: fixed hazards will be the real challenge
Ah... Yes. However Bullitt failed to trash his 'pinto'[?] on said streets so the robots will be OK. Presumably the fixie delivery bike riders in said city have a different set of gears on their flop-flips to go with their massive thighs and perceive no threat.
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 18:32 GMT allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
Re: fixed hazards will be the real challenge
Close... Ford Mustang. The other car in the chase is a Dodge Charger.
Now picture them trying to avoid the sortaR2D2s.
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 18:57 GMT Mpeler
Re: fixed hazards will be the real challenge
I'd just like to picture them sending those stupid delivery robots flying. With any luck, they'd hit an Amazon delivery drone on the way out.
The bicycle messengers will NOT be happy with the addition to the sidewalk detritus. Add to this the garbage bins that come and go on the sidewalks, the rush of people on the sidewalks (assuming this is in the business district), and the "criminal element" that might be encountered there and elsewhere, it should prove to be an entertaining show.
All of this, to get us used to "helpful robots and drones" watching our evey move.....
-
-
-
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 18:03 GMT c1ue
Re: fixed hazards will be the real challenge
And you're just referring to major geographical features.
The minor ones will be worse: homeless sleeping on a grates. Massive subsidence caused holes or depressions. Cracks large enough to lose a shoe in. Dog poop everywhere. Cars blocking the sidewalk. Bicyclists and human pedaled scooters. Sidewalk advertising signs. Restaurants that have put chairs and tables on the sidewalk.
-
Sunday 25th September 2016 23:40 GMT Alan Brown
Re: fixed hazards will be the real challenge
"Dog poop everywhere. "
That's a bot opportunity all by itself. Two of the biggest impediments to decent street cleaning are the cost of human operators and the size of the equipment needed so they can ride in/on it.
Paris was awash with dogshit prior to the bicentennial but discovered after the clean up for that, the citizens liked it. For many years there were mobile cleaning squads (https://anotherbagmoretravel.wordpress.com/tag/france-dog-shit/) but they're gone (costs) and you need to look where you're walking.
-
-