Amazon discontinues field trials of Scout – delivery robots

Amazon discontinues field trials of Scout – delivery robots

San Francisco, l0.10.2022.

Amazon is discontinuing field trials of its Scout – delivery robots and scaling back the program. The six-wheeled electric robots have made deliveries in California, Washington, Georgia and Tennessee under the supervision of human “ambassadors”.

Amazon said the program needed to be realigned because some feedback indicated that operations “didn’t meet customers’ needs.”

The 400 employees will be transferred to other Amazon teams. Small teams specializing in autonomous robots are now planned.

Scout field trials began in 2019 in the Seattle area. The all-electric bots can navigate sidewalks to deliver packages, replacing human delivery people.

Last year, Amazon announced plans for a Scout research center in Helsinki, Finland. Employees were to develop 3D software that “simulates the complexity of real life” to ensure Scout could navigate more safely.

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