Snapdeal says it has just tested deliveries using robots and it was successful

• Snapdeal has partnered with autonomous mobility startup Ottonomy IO to deliver ‘sanitized’ packages.
• Robot delivery, while has been much talked about, is just starting to take off globally.
• E-commerce giant Amazon is also betting on robot deliveries globally.

India’s third-largest e-commerce player Snapdeal has said that it has successfully tested robots for e-commerce deliveries. Snapdeal has partnered with autonomous mobility startup Ottonomy IO to deliver ‘sanitized’ packages.

During the test run for the robot delivery in Delhi NCR, the robots were placed at the gates of residential societies where a delivery agent came and placed the parcel in a compartment inside the robot. The robot then uses the societies’ map to deliver the goods at the customer’s doorstep.

According to the company, these robots are also equipped with ultraviolet lighting to ‘disinfect the packet while navigating to the delivery location’.

Snapdeal also said that it is investing heavily in artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop future-oriented capabilities.

“We believe that delivery robots will have a unique role to play in e-commerce deliveries in large townships, institutional campuses, and other managed residential environments. Contactless delivery via robotic vehicles is a step in building a safer and convenient future for shoppers”, said Snapdeal spokesperson.

The development from Snapdeal comes at a time when the likes of Zomato, Swiggy, Dunzo are experimenting with drone deliveries. In June, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) gave the official nod to delivery companies like Zomato, Swiggy, Dunzo to begin testing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drones for deliveries.

While ‘robot delivery’ has been an exciting and much talked about venture for a long time now, it has recently taken off globally as well. Global e-commerce giant Amazon also created a new team that will work on autonomous deliveries called Amazon Scout. These robots, like the one by Ottonomy IO, will be able to roll along sidewalks and deliver parcels.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for contactless deliveries, it is worthy to note that for robot-led deliveries in India to work, it requires a massive overhaul in infrastructure and policy.

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