Are you hungry? Robots will be at hand to deliver Ele.me’s lunch boxes to your desk
Ele.me is rolling out a food delivery robot in Shanghai to resolve the so-called last mile problem of delivering lunch boxes to customers’ desks.
Chinese food delivery platform Ele.me has unveiled a robotic solution for the delivery bottlenecks at office buildings, a development likely to be welcomed by food delivery workers plying the business districts of major cities.
In a concept unveiled as the Hongqiao Vanke Centre, an office in Shanghai, Ele.me rolled out a food-delivery robot designed to resolve the “last mile” problem.
Under the system, the food-delivery robot acts as an intermediary, taking the packages throughout the office building, notifying customers along the way.
Ele.me, whose name means “are you hungry?” in Chinese, said the robot is backed by its own proprietary software system. In the future, the trial could expanded to more Shanghai Vanke buildings. Each robot can transport three meals with a maximum operation time of eight hours between charging.
Ele.me said the initiative is part of its “future logistics” plan that aims to replace its human courier network with automation technologies within three to five years. Ele.me’s
Ele.me’s flying E7 delivery drone, which debuted in September, can carry up to 6 kilos of food up to 20 kilometres. The company’s investors include Alibaba Group Holding -- owner of the South China Morning Post -- and its affiliate Ant Financial.
