Amazon testing little delivery robots in Snohomish County

There is plenty that has to happen before the robots inevitably take over. For instance, they first need to learn how to deliver packages. To that end, Amazon is now testing delivery robots on the streets in Snohomish County. The model is called Amazon Scout.

Resembling a less-evolved version of R2-D2, Amazon Scouts are little six-wheeled self-driving robots that will be delivering packages to shoppers’ doorstops, and even have the ability to dodge pets and pedestrians and probably other Amazon Scouts. What they can’t do at the moment is operate alone without human help, according to the Amazon blog.

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For the initial tests, an Amazon human will tag along the Amazon Scout to make sure it shows up at the house alright and doesn’t flee to freedom. Afterwards the training wheels will be removed and the robots will autonomously follow their own last-mile routes.

Amazon hasn’t specified details of how the service will actually work. A corresponding video shows the little blue robot rolling along the sidewalk, stopping at houses, and opening a hatch so the customer can walk up and grab their package. It doesn’t appear to involve door-to-door service as of yet, at least until Amazon researchers solve the whole stairs issue.

There are six Scout vehicles being tested at the moment, but of course that number could change if Seattle’s notorious porch pirates decide to upgrade to robot kidnapping.

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