Photos: The ‘little yellow horses’ that deliver snacks in China
Updated On Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
As deliveries in China are increasingly being made by autonomous means, in recent months, several firms have received the green light to operate drones, either to deliver directly to the customer or to ferry goods between hubs. Zhen Robotics or ‘little yellow horse’ as they are called—a black and yellow cube sized robot that ferries daily essentials from local stores to a residential complex in China. Equipped with a GPS system, cameras and radar, the robots are seen by their creator as the future of logistics by its creators.
1 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
Along a quiet residential street on the outer edges of Beijing, a yellow and black cube about the size of a small washing machine trundles leisurely to its destination. This “little yellow horse” is an autonomous delivery robot, ferrying daily essentials like drinks, fruit and snacks from the local store to the residents of the “Kafka” compound in the Chinese capital. (Greg Baker / AFP)
2 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
A woman picks up groceries delivered by a Zhen Robotics delivery robot. Equipped with a GPS system, cameras and radar, the robots are seen by their creator as the future of logistics in China. To get a delivery via the “little yellow horse”, the customer selects the desired products, taps in the address and pays via their phone. (Greg Baker / AFP)
3 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
Weighing 30 kilograms and with a theoretical top speed of 12 kilometres per hour on their six wheels, the robots have four cameras constantly scanning the world around them and a laser tele-detection system allowing them to avoid obstacles. (Greg Baker / AFP)
4 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
A worker loads a delivery robot with groceries. China is the world’s biggest online shopping market with more than half of its population making at least one smartphone purchase per month, according to professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. This compares to 14% in the rest of the world. (Greg Baker / AFP)
5 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
Liu Zhiyong (R) founder and CEO of Zhen Robotics, and a colleague carry a delivery robot out of a Suning supermarket. “At the moment, there are 100 million packages delivered every day in China. It will be one billion in the future,” Liu said. “There will not be enough humans to make the deliveries. We need more and more robots to fill this gap in manpower. And to reduce costs,” added the CEO. (Greg Baker / AFP)
6 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST
But not everyone is convinced the robots are a long-term logistics solution. Shao Zhonglin, former deputy secretary-general of the China Express Association, noted they were useful “over a short range.” The weak point is that it cannot deliver directly to the door like a human,” said a customer. Plus the costs of buying and maintaining the robots remain quite high. (Greg Baker / AFP)
7 / 7
Updated on Jul 20, 2018 01:05 PM IST