FedEx has stopped development of its delivery robot. FedEx confirmed to the publication that the company would be shifting focus away from the bot to more future opportunities.
DEKA, makers of the iBot wheelchair, which uses multiple sets of wheels to walk up and down stairs, and raise its user from a sitting level to eye height, collaborated with Roxo. Multiple sets of wheels were used to help climb the steps. The robot had a top speed of 10mph, a cargo capacity of 100 lbs, and was able to autonomously navigate around cars and pedestrians. Human operators were used to keep an eye on it.
Sriram Krishnasam, Fedex's chief transformation officer, told staff this week that development of the project would be shutting down.
According to internal emails obtained by Robotics 24/7., Krishnasam wrote that Roxo did not meet needed near-term value requirements for DRIVE. Although we are ending the research and development efforts, the purpose of Roxo was to quickly advance our understanding and use of robotic technology.
The US, the United Arab Emirates, and Japan were some of the places where the trial was held. The most advanced testing period for the robot will be in 2021.
Amazon has stopped field tests of its last-mile delivery robot, Scout. The program for the robot is being scaled back by Amazon. The company didn't say why the program wasn't meeting customers' needs.
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