Both PepsiCo and Ninebot – Segway’s parent company – have recently announced separate delivery robot initiatives.

 

Pepsi is partnering with Californian robotics firm Robby in a fledgling pilot project that sees it delivering snacks and beverages on-campus to university students at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. 

 

Meanwhile, Ninebot-Segway is set to showcase its new Loomo delivery robot at the much-anticipated CES 2019 event, which runs from 8-11 January in Las Vegas. The Loomo bot is reminiscent of a filing cabinet on wheels, with a touchscreen. 

 

In a statement ahead of the event, the company said that: “Loomo Delivery is designed to provide a comprehensive autonomous delivery solution for office buildings, shopping malls, and other destinations.”

 

High growth ahead in the delivery robots space

 

The advent of Autonomous Delivery Robots (ADR) has revolutionised the delivery systems providing a cheaper and efficient way of delivery. Though delivery robots have not had high adoption to date, they are expected to have high growth in the future owing to various advantages. 

 

Aside from new entrants Pepsi and Ninebot-Segway, major players in the delivery space include Kiwi, Starship, Marble, Postmates, Woowa Bros and Alibaba.

 

The majority of companies active in the space have been investing for better models in last mile delivery such as click and collect, pick up locations, smart lockers etc. as an alternative for faster and better delivery of products. With the increasing use of autonomous delivery vehicles, efficiency and better consumer experience can be achieved compared to these existing modes of delivery. 

 

As such, the Autonomous Delivery Robots Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 14 per cent from 2018 to 2023, according to a recent report from MarketsAndResearch.com.