Washington—What looks like a rolling picnic cooler stops at the crosswalk, waits for a car to pass and then navigates its way at a leisurely pace down the sidewalk in suburban Washington.
Three blocks away, Jake Williams and his three-year-old daughter Emilia wait for the delivery robot and take out bags with pizza, fresh fruit and a loaf of French bread from the nearby Broad Branch Market.
“We can’t go into the shops now,” says Williams, among those locked down due to the virus pandemic. “And it’s fun for her.”
The Starship delivery robots have seen surging demand in dozens of cities around the world, with consumers staying home and virus risks growing for both shoppers and delivery workers.
Starship began working with the Broad Branch in early April when the corner store was forced to close to shoppers because it was too small to ensure proper social distancing.
Store owner Tracy Stannard said a fleet of up to 10 robots each day, managed by Starship, helps the market meet demands in the neighborhood. The store handles 60 to 70 deliveries daily, half by robot.
“Some people request the robot, they don’t even care about the groceries,” Stannard said. “It’s cute to see them roaming the neighborhood and it makes people happy.”
Robot deliveries from Starship and a handful of other companies meet only a tiny fraction of food deliveries, but highlight a need in a time of social distancing and pandemic fears.