RETAIL TECH
ROBOT DELIVERIES LMAD
THE ROBOTS ARE TAKING OVER, BUT WILL THEY DELIVER? WITH TECHNOLOGY RATTLING ALONG AT A TERRIFYING PACE AND HOME DELIVERY THE NEXT MAJOR BATTLEFIELD, MORE AND MORE ‘LAST MILE’ SOLUTIONS ARE NOW MAKING IT TO MARKET. THIS WEEK WE VISIT FINLAND – VIRTUALLY – TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE LATEST NEW SOLUTION. BY ANTONY BEGLEY
R
obots and drones delivering groceries is hardly a new concept. We’re all aware of the trials being run by global giants like Amazon, as reported in the last issue of The Week In Retail, but the global behemoths aren’t the only ones developing complex new ‘last mile’ tech solutions to cash in on the recent dovetailing booms in retail tech and home delivery.
22 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 24 / WEDNESDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2020
Startups like Starship Technologies (founded by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis) have been using robots to deliver food on a limited scale in the US since earlier this year. The global battle of the robots was ramped up another notch over the last month with the launch of a new autonomous delivery platform. Startup company LMAD (Last Mile Automated Delivery)
