It seems a bit rude
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Alibaba, a Chinese tech and ecommerce giant, recently announced plans to deploy 1,000 delivery robots in the country by the end of the year. It also took aim at the delivery workers that they would be replacing.
According to The Register, the delivery bot rollout is designed to address the last mile problem in delivery logistics. Traffic, human error and other unforeseeable problems can cause delays that could make otherwise seamless processes more difficult. Alibaba will automate the process and test its robots at colleges and housing complexes rather than relying on human couriers.
According to an Alibaba blog post, Alibaba's robots will be capable of making the trip without any deviations or smoke breaks.
The wrong turn
Alibaba makes bold claims about the capabilities of its delivery robots, aside from mocking the workforce it is about to automate.
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The blog post explains that the last leg of a journey from the manufacturer to the buyer could confuse human couriers. It is easy for delivery people to get lost when trying to locate a flat in a tower block, or navigate large housing estates.
The robots can, however, build a complete understanding of their surroundings as they move along sidewalks and on bike paths. Alibaba claims that robots can predict the movements of vehicles and people five to ten minutes in advance with 99.9999% accuracy. This is a very dubious statistic considering how unpredictable pedestrians and drivers can both be. However, it highlights how much trust Alibaba seems to have in a robot-dominated future.
READ MORE: Alibaba claims robots don't smoke and are able to deliver parcels quickly [The Register]
More on delivery robots: The demand for autonomous delivery bots is growing exponentially
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