The retailer is conducting an experiment near Brussels, where an autonomous robot developed by the start-up Delivers.ai is delivering to an office park from a nearby retail outlet.
Carrefour, which is exploring all avenues for the home delivery of its products, launched an experiment with autonomous robots in Belgium on 13 January. Carried out in collaboration with the British start-up Delivers.ai, which has created a food, grocery and parcel delivery robot for e-commerce platforms and dark kitchens, it consists of delivering customers in 15 minutes from shops.
Carrefour says in a press release that it is the first to try this experiment in Europe. The tests are currently taking place and will continue until the end of spring in the Zaventem office park, near Brussels. This is a 60,000 m2 business park with around 9,000 employees. Initially, 20 testers have been selected. The experiment will then be extended to the entire office park, starting with the local Carrefour.
500 references are available for delivery by autonomous robot. Fresh fruit, pastries, salads, ready meals, sandwiches, small groceries…
If the tests are successful, Carrefour is considering a pilot to use this mode of delivery in city centres in a major metropolis, such as Brussels, Antwerp, Liege and Ghent. The Delivers.ai vehicle travels at a maximum speed of 6 km/h. It is equipped with 8 cameras and sensors that allow it to move autonomously and avoid obstacles. However, it needs to operate in a previously mapped area.
