DPD is expanding autonomous robot deliveries to 10 UK towns and cities over the next year on the back of a successful trial.

The robots provide a sustainable, autonomous final-mile solution as an alternative to traditional delivery van

Developed by AI-powered robotics and last-mile delivery specialist Cartken, the robots provide a sustainable, autonomous final-mile solution as an alternative to traditional delivery vans.

Based on the firm’s level 4 autonomy and leading navigation tech, regarded as one of the safest last-mile delivery solutions on the market, the robots are able to be used on footpaths with only cameras – one of the only companies in the autonomous vehicle delivery space to achieve this with a purely vision-based system.

DPD first introduced the Cartken robots in Milton Keynes in July 2022 and they have since travelled almost 500 miles and successfully performed over 2,500 trips delivering parcels to DPD customers.

The rollout will start with Raunds in Northamptonshire, where the robots will be based at DPD’s depot at Warth Park and will deliver to nearby residential areas within a mile of the depot, via the existing network of footpaths. These robots will have three separate parcel compartments, instead of just one in the original trial, and an extended battery life of up to 12 hours.

Parcel recipients will be notified of a robot delivery in advance, and once they confirm that they are at home to accept the parcel, the robot will be dispatched.

Customers can track the robot’s progress on a map and are notified when it reaches their property. They then use a code to open the secure compartment and access their parcel. Once the compartment is closed, the robot will either continue to its next delivery or return to the depot.

Cllr Graham Lawman, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Highways, Travel and Assets, said: “We are delighted that DPD is introducing delivery robots in Raunds. The council is committed to the environment and supporting clean and green alternatives to traditional forms of transport to reduce emissions. It is great to be able to help bring this innovation to North Northamptonshire.”

Tim Jones, director of marketing, communications & sustainability at DPDgroup UK, commented: “The trial in Milton Keynes has been a huge success for us. The robots have exceeded our expectations, and the feedback has been fantastic. We can see people’s reactions when they meet them, and it is overwhelmingly positive. We set out to understand the role that delivery robots could play in certain locations in the UK and the trial has helped us identify more sites where we could deploy the robots successfully.”

It’s the latest sustainability initiative from DPD, which is rolling out a number of different solutions in its work to cut emissions.

Jones continued: “Our aim is to be the UK’s most sustainable delivery company and that means investing in innovations and trying new things. We are well on our way to decarbonising our van fleet with EVs and we are also making a big step forward by switching our HGVs to renewable biofuel, but we are also interested in brand new solutions that can help us transition to a smarter, more sustainable future.”