We can probably expect to see more and more delivery drones and robots in our towns and cities as time goes on and technology evolves.

But these innovative delivery robots in Cambridge stumbled across an unexpected obstacle.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue was on the scene of a derelict building fire on Saturday, meaning there were multiple parked fire engines and fire hoses trailing across the road and pavement.

Part of the pavement was cordoned off with tape as they tackled the fire.

But those unexpected obstructions caused a bit of bother with the local delivery robot community.

The six-wheeled white robots, complete with a flag to ensure visibility, got a bit confused when trying to cross the busy road, as they weren’t able to ride over the hoses.

That’s where the firefighters came to the rescue, with two firefighters picking the robots up and carrying them over the obstructions.

They demonstrated excellent lifting technique, too – make sure you always lift with your knees, not your back!

A spokesman for the fire service shared on X (formerly Twitter): ‘Sorry Co-op, our hoses and fire engines confused your delivery robots in Cambridge this evening as we tackled a building fire, but firefighters helped them on their way – hopefully not too many delays!’

The spokesman added in a statement: ‘Crews were dealing with a fire in a derelict building in Cambridge yesterday evening when firefighters not directly involved in firefighting activities noticed a Co-op delivery robot seemed to be struggling with navigating around the hoses and fire engines blocking the pathways and road.

‘Firefighters carefully lifted the robot up and carried it over the obstructions so it could continue on its way.

‘Shortly after, another robot breached the cordon and needed helping to get back on track. Not something we come across every day!’

The Co-op delivery robots have been out and about on Cambridge’s streets since November 2022, allowing people to order food and have it arrive at their doorstep in under an hour.

Shoppers are even able to track the robot using an interactive map as its makes its journey through the city.

The robots have been introduced to try and reduce the number of car journeys made in Cambridge every day.

Starship, who make the robots, say an average delivery consumes as little energy as boiling a kettle to make one cup of tea, saving time and energy in comparison to driving to a shop.

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Katie Boyden

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