Amazon is set to launch the most adorable, self-driving delivery robot called Scout. The company’s new device is roughly the size of a “small cooler” and is capable of rolling along the sidewalks, dropping off packages safely on customer’s doorsteps. Amazon announced Wednesday that the device is currently only operating in Snohomish County, Washington.
“The devices will autonomously follow their delivery route but will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee,” Amazon said in a statement. “We developed Amazon Scout at our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring the devices can safely and efficiently navigate around pets, pedestrians and anything else in their path.”
Amazon will begin with just six Scout devices, in which they will operate during weekdays and daylight hours. Customers who reside in Snohomish County — just north of Seattle — will still order packages as they normally would. Scout will navigate to the customer’s door and then automatically open the top hatch, allowing customers to grab the package.
“At Amazon, we continually invest in new technologies to benefit customers,” Sean Scott, vice president of Amazon Scout said. “We’ve been hard at work developing a new, fully-electric delivery system – Amazon Scout – designed to safely get packages to customers using autonomous delivery devices.”
Of course, shoppers who viewed Amazon’s YouTube video about Scout saw potential hazards for these six-wheeled robots. The first was the need for a nearby charging and loading station, meanwhile others had concerns regarding Scout’s durability and safety.
“It’s cool and cute … But will be stolen or vandalized instantly,” one person wrote. “Also in my city the sidewalks are crumbling and just gone in places, the decaying corpse of the rest belt needs a tank drone to navigate.”