Yandex is technically ready to begin mass production of courier robots, but this depends on economic factors. Currently, 130 devices are in the assembly stage, and the same number of robots are already in operation.
The company noted its readiness to scale the business when the cost of delivery by robot becomes comparable to delivery by a courier. Dmitry Masyuk, Director of the Yandex Search and Advertising Technologies Business Group, noted that the company's "internal goal is to achieve comparable costs by the end of the year."
Currently, Yandex's capacity is sufficient to produce up to 1,000 robots per year, but if the company wants to expand the geography of their use in the future, it will need to increase production.
It is noted that artificial delivery personnel may become popular among public catering networks and retailers, where it is important to ensure delivery at any time of the day or night.
Robots are in demand due to the shortage of couriers. In Moscow, their salaries can reach 200 thousand rubles a month. Many taxi and truck drivers are becoming couriers. In such circumstances, delivery robots can pay for themselves quickly enough.
Yandex first launched a pilotless courier robot for delivering small cargo back in 2019. Today, robots can be found in some districts of Moscow, Murino, Innopolis, and Krasnaya Polyana. The program involves about 300 restaurants and stores, including Burger King, Shokoladnitsa, Teremok, Azbuka Vkusa, and Vkusno — i tochka.
Earlier, www1.ru reported that Yandex launched an express delivery service for tires and wheels from online stores to home.
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