YOU’VE GOT MAIL: Japan Post delivery robot debuts in Tokyo

To meet the need of minimizing human contact amid the Coronavirus pandemic, The Japan Post Company recently unveiled a self-driving robot named DeliRo that is capable of automatically delivering goods in the city.

According to Japan Post, DeliRo is a product developed by ZMP Inc. With the size of a wheelchair, the robot can transport parcels weighing up to 30 kg at a speed of 6 kilometers per hour.

The robot is in the middle of a series of test runs that began on September 18th and runs through late October. In a commissioning test, DeliRo has successfully completed a distance of about 700 meters, from the convenient store located in the hospital to the local post office in about 25 minutes. It moves smoothly on roads in Chiyoda, Tokyo, automatically dodging obstacles such as utility poles, trash cans … and crossing an intersection with traffic lights.

perform such complex operations, DeliRo is equipped with built-in camera clusters to increase visibility and the most modern sensors to sense things on the road.

With the aim to put the self-driving delivery robots into practical use in fiscal 2021, Japan Post will continue to test the products until the end of October this year.

Even more importantly, based on the test results, the Japanese government will discuss easing regulations on autonomous delivery robots, which are currently not allowed to run on sidewalks or on public roads without human monitoring. The test run of DeliRo was realized after Japan Post registered the robot with police as a vehicle.

The Japanese government is steeping up the autonomous delivery services in the hope of alleviating the acute labor shortage in the aging country.

In the United States, automated robots have been applied to make home delivery of items such as medicines and groceries.