Amazon puts brakes on live tests of home delivery robot
Scout was introduced in 2019 with first tests taking place in Washington state followed by Southern California, Georgia and Tennessee
Meet Scout, Amazon's new delivery robot that is aiming to help solve the last-mile problem.
Amazon.com has decided to park its Scout automated delivery robot.
A company spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Thursday, that after live tests, the program did not completely meet its customers' needs.
Scout is the size of a small cooler and can navigate around anything in its path, from pets and pedestrians to large objects like surfboards, luggage, refrigerators and Christmas trees.
While Scout can autonomously follow its delivery route, it was accompanied by an Amazon Scout ambassador.
AMAZON AUTONOMOUS DELIVERY BOT EXPANDS TO ATLANTA AND TENNESSEE
Amazon Scout delivery robot (Amazon)
Amazon started testing the fully-electric Scout in Washington state in 2019 before expanding to Southern California, Georgia and Tennessee.
Amazon says it was not abandoning the project altogether.
The company is now scaling back or "reorienting" the program, and it will work with the involved employees to match them to other open roles within the organization, according to Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll.
Astro will help you keep an eye on your pet, whether you are on the move or in another part of the house. (Photo courtesy of Amazon) (Amazon)
Amazon has created other robotic devices.
Last month, the company announced upgrades to Astro, a robotic home assistant.
AMAZON UPGRADES $1,000 ASTRO ROBOT
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| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 202.61 | -8.87 | -4.19% |
Astro, which costs $999.99 and is available exclusively by invitation, uses a periscope camera with an expandable field of view to proactively patrol your home and send you notifications when it detects something unusual.
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Videos taken by Astro can be saved to a user's Ring account.
Reuters contributing to this report.