Amazon Develops Autonomous Delivery Vehicles in Finland

An American-based e-commerce giant, Amazon, revealed its plans about developing new technology for its autonomous delivery vehicles in Helsinki, Finland.

Amazon reported in a blog post that it is setting up a new Development Center to support Amazon Scout. Remarkably, Amazon Scout is a fully electric autonomous delivery robot. Amazon is currently testing it in four U.S. locations.

According to the company, more than 20 engineers will be based at the Amazon Scout Development Center in Helsinki initially. Amazon said that they would focus on R&D (Research and Development).

Amazon also added that one of their aims would be to develop 3D software that stimulates the complexity of real-time. Moreover, the team aims to ensure Scout can navigate safely while making deliveries.

The tech giant reported that the Amazon Scout team in Helsinki would grow over time. Amazon spokesperson announced that the firm is hiring leading engineers of robotics and autonomous systems technology.

Remarkably, the launch of the new development center in Helsinki comes half a year after the company reportedly acquired local 3D firm Umbra. Otso Mäkinen founded Umbra in 2006 and also has offices in the United States and Asia-Pacific region. The firm reportedly got $3.4 million from investors before it was acquired.

Based on Umbra’s Linkedin information, it empowers 3D graphics designers and engineers to create, optimize, share and view their design in real-time on virtually any device. Moreover, it is now redefining rapid visualization for all industry ecosystems utilizing complex 3D models.

However, the company did not confirm the acquisition.

Delivery Robots Replace Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs

Amazon says the development center in Helsinki will work alongside Amazon staff at the Amazon Scout R&D lab in Seattle. Moreover, the center will work with teams in Tubingen, Germany, and Cambridge, where the firm has been developing delivery drones for several years.

Roughly the size of a small cooler, Amazon Scout vehicles can carry small packages along sidewalks at a walking pace.

Notably, delivery robots are potentially useful assets in last-mile delivery. However, they also replace thousands of jobs.

Moreover, they are also being developed by Starship Technologies, set up in 2014 by Skype co-founders.

Starship announced in January that robots had completed 1 million deliveries in countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Estonia, and Germany.