French grocery retailer Carrefour has started testing delivery using robots. The project is being implemented in Belgium, In the Corporate Village in Zaventem near Brussels. Using robots developed by Delivers.ai, the French retailer is the first in Europe to promise customers to deliver small online orders within fifteen minutes.
The Delivers.ai robot has eight cameras and sensors and moves along a pre-designed map, avoiding obstacles. Its movement is safe for other traffic participants thanks to light indication and other features.
A special range of goods is selected for delivery, including ready-made meals, breakfasts, lunches, healthy meals, and desserts. The experiment, conducted among 9,000 customers, will end in the spring of 2023.
If the experiment is successful, Carrefour will move robotic delivery to major cities in the country – like Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, and Liège. The company believes it can make a real revolution in medium and small cities, which currently do not have full-fledged express delivery. If successful, the food giant could make food delivery faster and more convenient across the country.