“Scout, Amazon’s autonomous delivery robot, has now expanded its delivery range, moving to the second phase of its testing in Irvine, California. Scout has an array of sensors that help it navigate streets, sidewalks, driveways and other random day-to-day obstacles safely. It is another effort by Amazon to add more technology and automation into its delivery infrastructure and reduce operating costs. Amazon already uses hundreds of thousands of robots in its warehouses to store and move around shelves of products. It has also been developing drones to deliver packages to customers in less than 30 minutes as well. Accumulating and utilizing data from the Scout’s shipping operations can help Amazon improve the delivery service quality and efficiency. Depending on how effective they are and how Amazon customers perceive them, these small autonomous robots will likely represent the leading edge of worldwide robotic delivery.” – Liz Lee