Amazon beefs up UK team for delivery robot Scout
Amazon has today revealed a boost to its UK research and development arm with the creation of a new team dedicated to Scout, the e-commerce giant’s on-street delivery robot.
Amazon said it would be hiring for more engineers to develop its fully-electric and autonomous delivery robot, based at its Cambridge research and development hub.
The new UK team will work closely with the Amazon Scout research lab in Seattle to develop on-system software to help Scout robots navigate around residential neighbourhoods without the need for a human controller.
The move follows on from Amazon’s announcement last month that it would create 10,000 more jobs in the UK in 2020, taking its total workforce in the country up to more than 40,000.
Scout will pose a rival to UK-based companies such as Starship Technologies, which operates delivery robots that are then licensed by businesses such as Just Eat.
Public trials on UK roads for the robots remain ongoing, with Milton Keynes and Cambridge becoming a popular hubs for testing out new road gadgets such as e-scooters.
Amazon first launched Amazon Scout in January last year.
The service is currently in field test mode, delivering packages to customers in four states in the US.
During this trial period, the robots follow their route autonomously, but are accompanied on the road by an Amazon employee.