Evri has announced it is conducting Euorpe’s first trial of two-legged autonomous delivery robots in Barnsley, which was chosen and backed by the government as the UK’s first “tech town”.

The delivery company said the trial, conducted in partnership with Japan-based Refined Robotics, will explore how advanced robotics can support couriers, improve customer choice and influence the future of parcel delivery.

The two-legged robot has been designed specifically for outdoor last-mile deliveries. Evri said it can carry parcels weighing up to 15kg, travel at speeds of up to 6km/h and navigate real-world environments that can be challenging for traditional autonomous technologies, including climbing stairs, traversing uneven surfaces and entering and exiting delivery vans.

Evri added the robot can operate autonomously or be remotely monitored and is capable of both attended deliveries where the customer is present and unattended deliveries when the customer is not at home.

Throughout the trial, Evri said it will evaluate how the technology performs in residential environments and how it could support operational efficiency while maintaining the high levels of service customers expect.

The UK has the third largest ecommerce market in the world after China and the US, according to statistics quoted by Evri, and the trial will help the firm explore how emerging technologies could provide new ways these customers send, receive, and return parcels.

“As the UK's leading parcel delivery company for delivery choice, we're continually exploring new technologies that can help us deliver even greater flexibility while maintaining the high-quality service our customers expect,” said Marcus Huter, chief technology officer at Evri Group. “Launching Europe's first trial of a two-legged delivery robot in Barnsley is an exciting milestone. Barnsley has built a reputation as a place where innovation thrives and new technologies can be tested in real-world environments.

“Our couriers remain at the heart of our business. We’re committed to exploring how innovation can support them, improve operational efficiency and help us continue offering customers even more choice, convenience and control in the future.”

Evri said the new project builds on its aim of giving customers more choice and control over how they receive parcels including safe places, ParcelShops and neighbour delivery options.

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