Hi, I'm Ottobot!
I am Ottobot, and I am a fully autonomous robot developed to drive among pedestrians on sidewalks and in environments with mixed traffic. In November and December, you will see me driving all the way from Posten's distribution hub on Filipstadkaia, over the bridge to Aker Brygge and along the edge of the wharf to the restaurants Winther and Asia to pick up goods.
I drive on assignments from Posten and Bring in collaboration with the marketplace Amoi, so they can learn as much as possible about my technology, in which environments I do the best work and how I can help solve challenges related to deliveries and collection of goods in the future.
Why am I being tested?
The purpose of this project is simply to learn as much as possible. We want to learn how people interact with Ottobot, the maturity of the technology, and we want to explore whether Ottobot can help solve challenges in connection with picking up and delivering goods in the city.
Among other things, the project will give us insight into how the citizens of Oslo experience a robot in the urban environment, how do people feel about interacting with a robot, and whether it creates unforeseen challenges in our city. In addition, we need to understand which obstacles are difficult for the robot to maneuver, whether it can manage driving in Nordic weather conditions and how reliable Ottobot is in operation.
This project will also answer issues related to the scarcity of land, emissions, and accessibility in connection with delivery of goods in the city centre. Posten wants to be part of the solution, therefore we believe it is important to understand which combinations of automated and manual processes are suitable for delivering goods now - and in the future.