Amazon has been testing its Scout delivery robots near its headquarters in Snohomish County, Washington, for a few months. Today, it announced that it’s expanding the program, and it’s set to start testing the robots in the Irvine, California, area on a larger scale.
For those who don’t know, Scout is a small, six-wheeled vehicle with a Prime logo emblazoned on its side, and an array of sensors that help it navigate streets, sidewalks, driveways, and other random day-to-day obstacles safely. The little robot is completely autonomous, with no human driver or operator.
Prior to this latest announcement, Scout robots had been primarily used to ferry packages around Amazon’s main HQ in Washington. This gave the company more control and oversight over the robot’s behavior, but now, Amazon clearly feels their creation is ready to spread its wings and work further away from home.
There’s no special opt-in agreement that you have to sign; the integration is seamless and random, so there isn’t a reliable way to guarantee you’ll get a Scout-delivered order. However, if you order enough packages through Amazon on a weekly basis, your odds will certainly go up.
Amazon has been training the Scout delivery robots for months, using a mixture of real-world tests and digital simulations of cities. Scout isn’t Amazon’s only foray into automated deliveries, however. The company is also exploring using aerial drones for its Amazon Prime Air service although, like the Scout program, it’s still in the early stages.
