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Japan Post Co. on Wednesday unveiled an autonomous mail delivery robot as demand grows to minimize human contact amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Using built-in cameras and sensors, the robot, which is the size of a wheelchair, operated on a sidewalk in Tokyo’s Chiyoda district, dodging obstacles such as utility poles and crossing an intersection with traffic lights.
The robot is in the middle of a series of tests that began on September 18 and will run until the end of October. One of the tests involves the robot traveling 700 meters from a convenience store in a hospital to a local post office in about 25 minutes.
The red DeliRo robot developed by ZMP Inc. is capable of transporting packages weighing up to 30 kilograms at a speed of 6 kilometers per hour, according to Japan Post, which aims to implement autonomous delivery robots in fiscal 2021.
Based on the test results, the government will discuss easing regulations on autonomous delivery robots, which currently cannot run on sidewalks or public roads without human supervision. The DeliRo test run was conducted after Japan Post registered the robot with the police as a vehicle.
Japan is stepping up its push for autonomous delivery services in hopes that they will alleviate the acute labor shortage in the aging country.
In the United States, automated robots are being used to make home deliveries of things like medicine and groceries.