Robots or autonomous cars for the delivery of goods, especially for the last mile? It may sound like science fiction, but it is already a reality. The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) has started testing an autonomous robot to deliver packages. A pilot test at European level that aims to boost last-mile distribution by means of driverless vehicles. It is scheduled to start operating on the street, in a real environment, next summer. It will be launched around the Can Vidalet market, in Esplugues de Llobregat, and will later move to the German city of Hamburg and Debrecen (Hungary), as part of a project financed by the European laboratory EIT Urban Mobility, led by the Carnet technology center of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and with the support of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.

The objective is to make last-mile parcel delivery more efficient and less polluting, that is, the last stretch of merchandise delivery. The rise of e-commerce, especially after the pandemic, has highlighted the fact that this activity is responsible for a significant part of the current pollution and traffic congestion in cities. In particular, the spectacular growth of last-mile urban distribution of goods now accounts for 20% of traffic and 40% of emissions in a city like Barcelona.

The small autonomous car will have a radius of action of one kilometer and will have a base where packages and goods will be loaded for final distribution. It is designed to circulate on roads and streets, between cars, or in pedestrian areas. Its sensor system allows it to dodge obstacles and people, and its schedule is designed to re-route if it suddenly cannot pass through a road. When it reaches the end user and recipient of the package, he/she can pick it up from inside the robot.

But this new form of distribution will have to overcome another hurdle: regulations. For now, autonomous cars are not allowed to drive on the road, but things may change in the not too distant future. For now, the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) is also involved in the European project.