Amazon removes its delivery robot Scout from the sidewalks

Amazon is removing its Scout delivery robot from the sidewalks. The project did not meet the requirements of the customer.

The Amazon Scout robot, a small machine that looks like a refrigerator on wheels and can move on sidewalks, will no longer deliver packages to anyone. The e-commerce giant has completed a field test program for its experimental machine and has made the decision to “redirect”the project.

Amazon removes its delivery robot Scout from the sidewalks

According to Bloomberg, the scouting team has been disbanded and most of its 400 members have been transferred to other positions within the company. Amazon spokeswoman Alice Carroll told Reuters that the company is not abandoning the project entirely. A very small team will continue to consider using an autonomous robot for deliveries, and this may or may not mean the end for the Robot Scout.

Alice Carroll said the following:

During our limited Scout field testing, we worked to create a unique delivery experience, but received a lot of feedback that some aspects of the program were not meeting customer needs. As a result, we are completing field trials and refocusing the program. We are working with employees during this transition, finding them new roles that best match their experience and skills.

The project did not meet the customer’s needs

Amazon began testing Scout in 2019 and initially deployed six robots to deliver packages in North Seattle. The vehicles could follow the delivery route autonomously, and although the robot was accompanied by a test worker, it could stop in front of a customer’s door and open their trunk so they could pick up their package. After the initial rollout, Amazon expanded testing to Southern California, Atlanta, Georgia, and Franklin, Tennessee.

While Alice Carroll didn’t specify which aspects of the program “didn’t meet customer needs,”it’s another decision that indicates the US giant is winding down its pilot projects. We learned a few days ago that the company has also discontinued the Glow device for children’s video conferencing, likely due to lack of sales.