Raphael ThysThe world's biggest tech show is back. Today, January 5th, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opened its gates to all sorts of innovative and crazy machines. On-site made its apparition a fleet of autonomous robots as well. Called the Ottobots, these small robots are designed to deliver goods both indoors and outdoors.
The ongoing health crisis continues to affect the consumers' shopping behavior, changing how companies deliver goods. The result is that contactless deliveries have surged in popularity, with robots popping out to supply the demand.
The Ottobot is the creation of tech startup Ottonomy. The company started pilot tests in 2020 and has since perfected its product into what rolled today at CES: a machine ready to take retail and restaurant industries by storm.
Designed for curbside, last-mile, and indoor deliveries, the robot is equipped with sensors for situational awareness, which allow it to understand its surroundings and check for threats as it navigates. To get where it needs, the Ottobot makes a digital map of the destination and then localizes itself within the map, providing live updates as it runs to deliver the goods.
The Ottonomy's proprietary contextual mobility navigation technology allows the machine to make its way thourgh crowded places and unknown settings, such as airports. The robots can also "lend a hand" and become part of an establishment's staff to help provide deliveries both indoors and outdoors.
The Ottobot doesn't have just a big storage space to carry packages, but multiple cabins. This comes in handy when transporting different products like food and parcels. It doesn't only work to separate them, but it's also effective in carrying more stuff at a time.
Over the next months, the company plans to roll out its Ottobots across the U.S. To speed up the adoption of its autonomous machines, Ottonomy teamed up with Aro, a global leader in robotic and on-site managed services. Aro will work with the startup to implement and manage the fleet of robots.
