Science & technology | Sidewalk bots

Sidewalk robots are already busy delivering groceries

But autonomous vehicles are waiting for the green light

Your friendly neighbourhood bot

ALTHOUGH IT IS a business not many are aware of, sidewalk robots are set to become an industry with annual sales of $1bn within a decade, reckons IDTechEx, a British firm of analysts. These four- or six-wheeled autonomous machines, usually the size of a suitcase, are already delivering groceries and other goods in America, China and Europe.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Autonomous deliveries”

When the ride ends

From the February 12th 2022 edition

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