Boston Dynamics tries using ‘robot dogs’ for deliveries

波士顿动力公司尝试使用“机器狗”进行配送

Boston Dynamics’ robotic quadruped Spot has already found work doing routine factory inspections and patrolling the ruins of Pompeii, but what about deliveries? The company is testing a new conveyor belt accessory that allows Spot to carry packages from a vehicle and autonomously unload them on a customer’s doorstep in an effort to reduce a delivery driver’s workload.

波士顿动力公司的四足机器人 Spot 已经找到了工作，包括进行日常工厂检查和巡逻庞贝古城遗址，但它能胜任配送工作吗？该公司正在测试一种新的传送带配件，允许 Spot 从车辆上运送包裹，并自动将其卸载到客户的家门口，旨在减轻快递员的工作负担。

While attempts have already been made to expedite and automate deliveries using wheeled robots or aerial drones, humans are still the most efficient way to navigate obstacles like stairs or cluttered pathways in order to get packages from a truck to a doorstep. A demo video shows a driver unloading packages onto Spot for doorstep distribution that Boston Dynamics hopes will be efficient enough to justify buying one of the $75k~ bots.

虽然此前已经有人尝试使用轮式机器人或无人机来加速和自动化配送，但人类仍然是克服楼梯或杂乱路径等障碍，将包裹从卡车运送到家门口最高效的方式。一段演示视频显示，一名司机将包裹卸载到 Spot 上进行送货上门，波士顿动力公司希望这种方式足够高效，从而让客户觉得购买一台价值约 7.5 万美元的机器人是物有所值的。

Boston Dynamics says it’s “already in talks with major logistics companies about testing Spot for a last-mile delivery solution” and its current goal is to move from these demos to a full pilot project.

波士顿动力公司表示，他们“已经与各大物流公司商谈，测试 Spot 作为最后一公里配送解决方案的可行性”，目前的目标是从这些演示阶段转向全面的试点项目。

Spot’s unique ability to clamber over uneven terrain and navigate complicated obstacles could facilitate its use as a delivery assistant. The robot is already frequently used to help comb through rubble as part of search and rescue operations, and Boston Dynamics believes those capabilities could make it well suited for navigating the “unstructured environments of suburban neighborhoods” where the path from the curb to a front door is rarely obstacle-free.

Spot 在崎岖地形上攀爬和绕过复杂障碍物的独特能力，使其能够胜任配送助理的工作。该机器人已经经常被用于搜救行动中协助清理瓦砾，波士顿动力公司认为，这些能力使其非常适合在“郊区非结构化环境”中导航，因为在这些地方，从路边到前门的路径往往并非畅通无阻。

The robot will not only help reduce physical strain on delivery drivers, it will also give them more time for other tasks such as prepping the next delivery while Spot is dropping off its current payload, potentially increasing their capacity. “For every three packages delivered via Spot, we think we can add another package to the van,” says Paige Miller, Boston Dynamics’ senior staff product manager for Spot.

该机器人不仅有助于减轻快递员的体力负担，还能让他们腾出更多时间处理其他任务，例如在 Spot 运送当前包裹时准备下一单配送，从而可能提高他们的配送效率。波士顿动力公司 Spot 项目的高级产品经理 Paige Miller 表示：“我们认为，每通过 Spot 配送三个包裹，我们就能在货车中多装载一个包裹。”