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EU Urban Mobility Observatory
  • News article
  • 22 December 2023
  • 1 min read

Helsinki tests emission-free and autonomous delivery robots

The city of Helsinki, Finland, has been piloting emission-free delivery of online shopping orders using an autonomous robot that serves households at the doorstep.

With the logistics sector constantly expanding whilst seeking to reduce emissions, the future looks to increasingly utilise automation, in particular during peak times. Towards the end of 2023, Helsinki was trialling the delivery of packages by an autonomous robot for the Christmas season. The service addressed the Ruoholahti and Jätkäsaari areas, with the idea to ease the overload of deliveries during Christmas, specifically in these areas that lack local post offices.

The robot called ‘HeRo’ was created by the LMAD company and runs on electricity. It can interact with customers, providing a doorstep service with a one-hour delivery window.

The pilot was run by the city’s innovation company Forum Virium. They first tested the robot’s functionality and acceptance in a setting where it delivered tools to local construction sites. Now, they are exploring consumer acceptance of the service and if it can take a role in future smarter logistics.

The robot has been well received by the public so far and represents a significant step towards smarter, more sustainable urban logistics. There are also further plans to expand cooperation between logistics players in spring 2024.

Article published first at Helsinki Times on 3 December 2023.

Sources

Details

Publication date
22 December 2023
Topic
  • Autonomous and connected vehicles
Country
  • Finland