The DPD branded robots are operating out of the firm's Knowlhill depot and delivering to surrounding estates Shenley Church End and Shenley Lodge.
Milton Keynes has become popularly known for its delivery robots over the past few years, making local and national news headlines.
Powered by AI technology, the much-loved Milton Keynes robots are currently most known for delivering food and shopping to residents.
Now, DPD have teamed up with Cartken, a tech company used by automotive tech giant Mitsubishi Electric in Japan, and leading food delivery company Grubhub in the United States, to bring parcel deliveries to Milton Keynes.
Residents waiting for parcels will be notified of a robot delivery in advance and once confirmed, the robot will be dispatched to make the delivery.
Customers can track the robots progress and open use a code to open the secure compartment to get their parcel.
If successful, the scheme could be extended across the city.
Elaine Kerr, DPD UK CEO, comments: “This is a really important trial for us. We want to understand the role that delivery robots could play in certain locations in the UK. They are a sustainable solution, and we genuinely want to find out if they could help us take vans off the road in future. The technology is proven and with the DPD branding, they look fantastic. The public’s response to our EV fleet has been amazing, so I am confident these smart robots will be embraced by customers as part of the way forward."
“Realistically, we aren’t going to be completely replacing our delivery drivers anytime soon. And we wouldn’t want to. The service they provide is fantastic. But at DPD we’ve always led the way on innovation and investment in our network and this is the next logical step in terms of evolving delivery solutions and working towards our aim of being the UK’s most sustainable delivery company.”
Cartken Co-Founder and COO, Anjali Jindal Naik, said of the project, “We are excited to collaborate with DPD for parcel delivery in the UK market. Our robots are designed to provide sustainable solutions that integrate into existing city infrastructure. We are thrilled to be a part of DPD's sustainability plan as they adopt more environmentally conscious solutions through the use of our delivery robots.”
The trial is part of series of innovative green initiatives from DPD. The firm has already announced plans to have over 3,000 electric vehicles on the road in the UK this year and 5,000 by 2023, when it will be delivering to 30 towns and cities on all-electric vehicles.
You can find out more here.
