Evri Started a Two-Legged Delivery Robot Trial in Barnsley

So basically: On Sept. 28, Evri started a street trial of a two-legged delivery robot in Barnsley, England. The robot is built to carry a parcel, climb stairs, and get in and out of a van. The couriers are still the ones doing the route.

The trial

Evri is running it with Refined Robotics, a company based in Japan. Barnsley is the UK’s first government-backed Tech Town, and Evri already has its biggest parcel hub there. Evri calls this Europe’s first trial of a two-legged delivery robot. That is the company’s claim.

The robot is for outdoor last-mile work. Evri says it can carry parcels weighing up to 15 kg, about 33 pounds, and travel at up to 6 km/h, about 3.7 mph. It is supposed to handle stairs, uneven ground, and getting in and out of delivery vans. It can run on its own or with someone watching it remotely. Evri says it can do a handoff to a person or leave a parcel when no one is home.

Evri’s chief technology officer, Marcus Hunter, said couriers stay at the center of the business. The trial is meant to see if the robot can help them, not replace the network. Nick Hafner, CEO of Refined Robotics, said the point is stairs and outdoor ground, the parts wheeled sidewalk robots skip.

What Evri did not say

The press note does not give a robot name, a count of robots, a trial length, or a date when this leaves Barnsley. It does not say the robot is in paid service. Evri Group says the combined company delivers more than 1 billion parcels a year, plus another 1 billion business letters. This trial is one machine class in one town.

My take

A two-legged robot that can leave a van and climb stairs is the part of delivery that wheels are bad at. The news is still a pilot. Evri has not said how many parcels it has carried, or whether a courier has to walk behind it. Until those numbers show up, this is a test on one set of streets, not a new way the UK gets its mail.