Coca Cola Delivery Autonomous Robots!

Most news that emerges from popular amusement park chain Alton Towers is about a new controversial ride or some sort of business proposition, however, this it time differs greatly. Recently Alton Towers enlisted the service of small Coca Cola delivery autonomous robots. This idea came about when Coca Cola European Partners or CCEP, who happen to be the world’s leading coca-cola bottler teamed up with autonomy company Tele Retail to test the ability of the new bot in the local Alton Towers in Staffordshire.

Testing Delivery Autonomous Robots

This test will consist mainly of the trial robot collecting products from the Alton Towers distribution center and then delivering them around the park to both customers and kiosks/restaurants. In order for this test to be successful, the robot must successfully use artificial intelligence to get around thousands of visitors safely without tripping anybody up! The robot is capable of traveling up to 3 miles per hour over a maximum distance of 50 kilometers. To do this efficiently it is equipped with a GPS system, as well as a sight, sound and motion detection systems. Without these crucial aspects, the robot would not be able to traverse visitors and objects.

Leendert Den Hollander, Vice President and General Manager at CCEP recently had this to say, “We are seeking out leading-edge technology start-ups and helping them to grow through access to expertise and the opportunity to test and refine their innovative solutions,” He then continued “The Tele Retail robots are a perfect example of how we are trialing technology that could enable 24/7 on-demand logistics services and eventually be something that can be scaled up to larger vehicles,” he finished by saying, “By developing technology, solutions, and processes, we can improve the way we operate, to better serve our customers and consumers – now and in the future.”

There will be more of these tests conducted in the public, to truly get a better gauge on how safe and effective these devices can actually be in practice and not just in theory. If this particular test is successful, then it will completely change how CCEP delivers drinks and other products to its customers. In future perhaps we may even see larger versions of these robots on the streets doing deliveries. In certain more robot enthusiast cities, they already employ this type of technology in larger pizza delivery van-type vehicles, and despite a few incidents with pedestrians, these systems have proven efficient and popular.

Neil Crittenden, Commercial Director recently said, “If the trial is successful, there are many potential applications for this technology at Alton Towers,” he followed this up with “Who knows, in the future guests may be able to order drinks from the queue line to be delivered by robots when they finish a ride, or we could see  automated room service deliveries across our 700 hotel rooms. The possibilities are huge.”