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Autonomous robot startup to expand their US pilot to two more cities

London-headquartered Starship Technologies has secured further approval from two US cities to test its semi-autonomous delivery robots in real-life urban environments.

The startup, which was created by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis in 2014, has been given approval to test its fleet on the streets of Washington DC and Redwood City in California.

It comes after securing approvals in a number of US cities, including Sunnyvale, San Carlos and Menlo Park, along with testing programs with local partners in London, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Bern and Tallinn.

In London, Starship has partnered with food delivery business Just Eat where it had already clocked up 10,000 miles back in October. Other European partners include Hermes and Mercedes Benz.

Chief Executive Heinla, commented: ““After successfully securing permission in Washington, DC and Redwood City, we can expand our extensive research and development program.

“We actively seek out places like Washington, DC and Redwood City that share our vision for the future of delivery and we look forward to working closely with them during our pilot.”

Starship combines a fleet of small, six-wheeled robots, along with mobile technology and a local hub to provide short-distance delivery services.

Its robots can travel up to 3 miles, and users have the ability to monitor the delivery via a smartphone.

The Mayor of Redwood City, John Seybert, was excited about the potential for the technology to improve urban life in various ways.

He said: “We’re excited that Starship Technologies chose Redwood City for this innovative autonomous robot program. It has strong potential to not only reduce traffic in Redwood City, but allow restaurants and businesses to serve a greater number of customers.”

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