This adorable robot could revolutionise home delivery in 2016

WIRED Retail is our annual exploration of the ever-changing world of commerce, featuring leading technologists, entrepreneurs and creatives innovating in sectors as diverse as robotics, virtual reality and the future of home delivery. For all our coverage from the event, head over to our WIRED Retail hub.

The last mile of delivery is the most expensive; it is labour-intensive, slow and inefficient. But what if we used robots to help?

The UK as a whole makes 30 million shopping trips per day, while the average UK household picks up eight bags of shopping per week. Despite being the European leader in e-commerce, just 5 percent of grocery shopping is done online in the UK. "That's a huge waste of time. Let's say it is £10 per hour, that's £300 million of wasted human time buying in-store," said Anita Heinla, co-founder, CEO and CTO of Starship.

Speaking at WIRED Retail, Heinla explained that the cost of delivery increased the closer a parcel or bag of shopping got to its destination. "Everybody in the delivery sector hates the last mile," he said. "It takes about £3 to £7 to deliver the last parcel. It is really, really difficult to get that done."

His company's solution? Small, lightweight, autonomous delivery robots. First announced in November, the robots will be tested on the UK's streets in 2016 ahead of a full commercial roll-out planned for 2017. Heinla expects land-based robots to beat much-hyped drone delivery technology to the market.

"While I believe that drones will have their place there are still lots of unanswered questions around drones," he argued, citing safety, regulation and people's fear of drones as major obstacles.

Starship's robots can carry deliver two bags of shopping within 30 minutes of an order being requested. They have a range of one to two miles and are 99 percent autonomous. And for anyone tempted to steal one of the little robots? Heinla explained the lid remains locked shut until it reaches its destination, while on-board GPS and a video camera should deter any potential thieves.

Heinla envisions a near-future when large logistics firms will deliver parcels to fully-automated Starship hubs around the country. These hubs will then serve the local community, with people able to request their delivery at a time convenient to them and have it arrive via robot inside half an hour. "In general, we've found that people are very positive about robots," he argued. "Robots reduce congestion, reduce emissions. They allow people to live longer lives at home."

This article was originally published by WIRED UK