SEOUL: Hyundai started two pilot delivery service programs using robots based on Plug & Drive (PnD).
These robots are available at hotels and residential-commercial complex in the suburbs of Seoul.
The delivery robot consists of a storage unit integrated on top of a PnD driving unit. Alongside the loading box used to deliver items, a connected screen displays information for customers.
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The robot contains one single wheel unit that combines intelligent steering, braking, in-wheel electric drive and suspension hardware, including a steering actuator for 360-degree, holonomic rotation. It moves with the aid of LiDAR and camera sensors. An integrated storage unit allows the robot to transport products to customers.
The PnD-based robot can find the optimal route within the area to deliver packages to recipients. It can recognize and avoid fixed and moving objects and drive smoothly, providing a fast delivery time.
The robot in service at the hotel uses a deep learning-based algorithm to recognize the surrounding environment and people. When the robot arrives at the room it recognizes the opening of the door, and once it perceives the recipient, it automatically opens the storage compartment for them.
The robot can communicate appropriate screen messages and in a befitting tone of voice based on the recipient. In addition, when moving between floors, the unit can determine the number of people boarding an elevator and wait for the next elevator if the first one is crowded.
The autonomous driving robot is also adept at avoiding obstacles and collisions, even in narrow hotel corridors, and can move between floors without human help due to electronic connectivity with the elevators, enabling it to deliver goods along an optimal route.
To enable the service, the Group uses wireless communication to access communal front doors and elevators, an issue which was previously an obstacle to commercializing robot delivery service. The service robot can enter the apartment complex, access upper floors through the elevator control system and deliver food to the customer’s home.
The technology enabling service robots to move autonomously indoors and outdoors and deliver food without human assistance has created a game-changing last-mile delivery innovation that is attracting significant attention from the logistics and retail industries. The company expects last-mile delivery robots to greatly increase the efficiency of the entire delivery process.
