Consumers love to shop online, and this means reliance on delivery services keeps growing. To meet the demand, shipping companies are increasingly investing in autonomous delivery. By requiring fewer humans and incorporating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous delivery can provide cheaper, faster and more sustainable delivery services.
A Transforma Insights report estimates that 4.7 million delivery robots will be in use by 2032. Which means if you haven’t received an autonomous delivery yet yourself, you’re likely to encounter the future of shipping logistics soon.
What is autonomous delivery?
Autonomous delivery refers to self-operating vehicles, robots, or drones used to transport goods and packages without human assistance. While it sounds futuristic, this technology is already in use and is rapidly expanding. Autonomous delivery is poised to revolutionize logistics, e-commerce, and supply chain management by increasing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving sustainability.
What is an autonomous delivery robot?
Autonomous delivery robots are self-driving machines designed to transport packages, food, or other goods directly to consumers or businesses. They use AI, GPS, and sensors to navigate sidewalks, streets, and other designated delivery routes. Startups including Starship Technologies and Nuro are already using autonomous delivery robots in cities across the world.
Examples of autonomous transportation
It’s not just autonomous delivery robots that help transport goods and packages without human contact. Autonomous logistics includes a range of transportation methods, such as:
Self-driving vans and trucks: Companies including Tesla, Uber Freight, and Aurora are developing autonomous freight trucks to streamline logistics and reduce transportation costs. The U.S. and Europe are facing large driver shortages, and autonomous freight trucks could help solve that problem.
Autonomous drones: Aerial deliveries using drones are an especially attractive solution for areas with difficult terrain or heavy traffic. While not widely in use yet, several companies including Amazon are testing drones for rapid, lightweight deliveries in suburban and rural areas.
Last-mile robots: Designed for urban environments, these small, ground-based robots can deliver packages and food without human assistance. These robots aim to solve the “last-mile problem” – the costly and challenging final step in the process of delivering a package to a customer’s doorstep.
Warehouse robots: These machines move goods within storage facilities, streamlining the supply chain. Warehouse robots perform tasks that are often difficult and dangerous for humans such as organizing, retrieving and transporting large amounts of inventory.
Examples of autonomous delivery vehicles in current use
Delivery giants and startups alike are experimenting with and using autonomous delivery vehicles to optimize logistics. Some prominent examples include:
Amazon
Amazon Robotics has developed eight different robots that sort, lift, and carry packages in their warehouses. Among them is Proteus, Amazon’s first fully autonomous mobile robot, designed to move large carts of packages at fulfillment centers to be loaded onto trucks.
In 2019, Amazon also began testing an autonomous delivery robot dubbed Scout in the U.S. state of Washington. But the company discontinued the project in 2022 after feedback that the cooler-sized sidewalk robots “weren’t meeting customers’ needs.”
Uber
The ride-hail and delivery giant is a leader when it comes to incorporating autonomous delivery. Uber has partnered with six companies to make autonomous delivery robots for Uber Eats: Avride, Cartken, Coco, Nuro, and Serve Robotics for autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, and Waymo for robotaxi deliveries.
Currently, users in 11 cities can receive autonomous Uber Eats deliveries via robot, including in Tokyo, Dallas and Jersey City. Customers can track the delivery robot’s location on the app, receive a notification when it arrives, and then use the app to unlock the robot and take their food.
Autonomous Freight and Trucking
In 2024, Chinese self-driving tech company Inceptio Technology completed delivery of 400 autonomous trucks to one of China’s leading delivery companies, ZTO Express. It is believed to be the largest ever order of autonomous heavy-duty freight vehicles.
Uber Freight, the logistics business spun out of Uber, is also betting big on autonomous trucking. The company has partnered with four autonomous driving technology players to develop its fleet of Uber Freight carriers, including autonomous truck company Aurora Innovation. Aurora is set to launch driverless semis traveling from Dallas to Houston in April 2025.
Autonomous delivery drones: Their current applications
Drone delivery is also a rapidly growing field, offering solutions for logistics as well as emergency response and healthcare. Here are a few of the drone delivery ideas companies are developing:
Business-to-consumer delivery drones
Retail and food delivery industries are leading the charge in drone-based services. Companies including Amazon (with Prime Air), Walmart, and Wing (owned by Alphabet) are developing drones to deliver small packages and groceries directly to consumers. They say these delivery drones can shorten delivery times to as little as 15 minutes.
Delivery drones operating in large industrial complexes
Industrial sites such as offshore platforms and manufacturing plants are using drone delivery to enhance operational efficiency. Some applications include:
Transporting medical supplies between hospitals and research facilities.
Delivering spare parts and tools within manufacturing plants.
Managing inventory in large distribution centers.
Delivering critical supplies from ports to ships.
Military applications
Autonomous drones are increasingly being used in defense operations for logistics, reconnaissance, and supply chain management. Military forces deploy drones to deliver critical medical supplies, food, and ammunition to soldiers in remote areas or conflict zones. Using drones reduces the risk for human personnel.
The benefits of autonomous deliveries
While there is still work remaining to make autonomous delivery systems cost-effective and scalable, the future of these solutions will offer several advantages, including:
Reduced costs: Automation reduces the need for human labor, cutting expenses associated with transportation and logistics.
Increased efficiency: Drones and autonomous vehicles can operate 24/7, allowing for faster deliveries and optimized logistics.
Environmental sustainability: Electric-powered delivery robots and drones reduce reliance on fossil fuels, decreasing carbon emissions.
Improved safety: Less human intervention in transportation lowers the risk of accidents.
Enhanced accessibility: Autonomous delivery systems can more easily access remote or underserved areas where traditional logistics are inefficient.
Autonomous delivery is still a developing field but shows great promise to shape the future of logistics and supply chains. As technology advances, regulatory hurdles are overcome, and costs are reduced, the possibilities for autonomous delivery will continue to expand. In the future, the skies and sidewalks will be abuzz with autonomous delivery drones and robots helping solve global delivery challenges.
