{"id":75450,"date":"2025-12-05T13:58:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/?p=75450"},"modified":"2025-12-05T16:46:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T16:46:35","slug":"the-robots-are-coming-new-autonomous-delivery-service-sets-its-sights-on-sheffield","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/12\/05\/the-robots-are-coming-new-autonomous-delivery-service-sets-its-sights-on-sheffield\/","title":{"rendered":"“The robots are coming!”: New autonomous delivery service sets its sights on Sheffield"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Six-wheeled robots may be delivering takeaways to your home in time for the new year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robot company, Starship<\/a>, is teaming up with Uber Eats<\/a> to bring autonomous delivery to Sheffield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robots are equipped with the ability to mount curbs and only in difficulty will be helped by human operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Starship’s latest delivery robot, the E-model (Source: Starship)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

They have an 18-hour battery and can deliver hot and cold food in an average of 20 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched by Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, in 2014, the company now operates over 2,700 robots in 270 locations around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They aim to have 12,000 robots by 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already operating in several cities across the UK in collaboration with the Co-op<\/a>, the Uber Eats expansion will be flagshipped in Sheffield and Leeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTogether, we\u2019re building the infrastructure that will define the next generation of urban logistics,\u201d said Heinla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In October, Starship\u2019s robots were introduced to Downing Street to promote the ways in which technology can transform society for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have emphasised their commitment to accessibility, citing the robots as an effective tool in providing services to people with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milton Keynes MP, Emily Darlington, has heaped praise on the company for its effectiveness in her constituency, but the question remains as to whether this will translate to success in Sheffield, given the cities\u2019 differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While all robots have an in-built sensor, their size (697mm x 569mm) may present issues for disabled pedestrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Delivery robot’s sensor range (Source: Starship)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Worries also stem from the threat to jobs in Sheffield. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amy, a local resident, wondered: \u201cHow many jobs is that taking away?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, another resident, Hannah, said: \u201cIf it\u2019s convenient, the consumerist side of my brain would think \u2018amazing’ but where does it end?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There remains a cautious intrigue about the innovation coming to Sheffield but, whatever the opinions, this can be seen as a clear step towards technology gaining ever further influence over everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fleet of Starship autonomous delivery robots (Source: Starship)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six-wheeled robots may be delivering takeaways to your home in time for the new year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":75513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n"The robots are coming!": New autonomous delivery service sets its sights on Sheffield - Sheffield Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/12\/05\/the-robots-are-coming-new-autonomous-delivery-service-sets-its-sights-on-sheffield\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""The robots are coming!": New autonomous delivery service sets its sights on Sheffield - 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