Swiss Post tests four-legged robots for parcel deliveries

Swiss Post, in collaboration with Migros Online and RIVR, has started testing a four-legged robot to help deliver parcels in Switzerland. The aim is to support Swiss Post employees following a 70 percent increase in parcel deliveries in the past 10 years.

Swiss Post robot to help with increased parcel deliveries

Swiss Post recently shared that, in collaboration with Migros Online and RIVR (a Zurich-based start-up), it is testing the use of a four-legged robot to help with parcel delivery in Switzerland.

According to Swiss Post, the number of parcels being delivered across the country has increased by 70 percent in the past 10 years. The increase in parcel deliveries means that Swiss Post’s 15.000 employees “literally have their hands full” and are also facing “heavier deliveries”, such as groceries. 

The postal company sees a future where “postal workers work side by side” with robots that can help to carry heavy packages. However, Swiss Post also made it clear that “humans are indispensable in parcel delivery”. 

Testing the practicalities of the postal robot

The robot was developed by the start-up company RIVR, a spin-off from the Swiss university ETH Zurich. According to Swiss Post, the machine is designed to “move flexibly”, and current tests are investigating “how quickly the robot can climb stairs and get in and out of the vehicle - without damaging the goods”. 

The postal service is using the robot to help with postal deliveries in Regensdorf, Zurich, from August until mid-September. Swiss Post will review the results and "determine the opportunities and limitations” of using robots in the future.