In Russia, a humanoid robot courier called "Arkus" has been unveiled, designed to automate goods delivery. The development, named "Arkus," was showcased at the robotics festival at the Higher School of Economics (HSE University).
Where is the Humanoid Delivery Robot Planned to be Tested?
According to Andrey Blokhin, IT Innovation Director at Efko, delivery model testing will begin within a month at the "Biryuch" scientific center in the Belgorod region.
There is a base there where a full chain of urban logistics can be tested with the participation of autonomous drones and robots.
Tests on the streets of Moscow are scheduled to begin in 2026.
What Can the Robot Do?
"Arkus" is capable of independently moving around the city, interacting with delivery infrastructure and people, and delivering orders to parcel lockers or directly to customers.
It is part of an entire robotic delivery system. This includes the robots themselves, robot ports for their maintenance without human intervention, and a network of parcel lockers.
How Will This Change Delivery?
The new logistics model significantly speeds up the process and increases its efficiency.
Users will be able to order goods from a hypermarket assortment of more than 20 thousand items and receive them within an hour.
At the same time, delivery will become cheaper: according to developers' estimates, its cost can be reduced up to four times.
What Do the Developers Say?
According to Rostislav Kovalevsky, Innovation Director at Efko and Director of the Institute of Robotics Systems at HSE, such projects are created to change everyday life.
According to him, robots take on routine tasks, allowing people to engage in more complex and interesting work, and the mass adoption of autonomous systems and digital platforms is a matter of the near future.
He added that robots are already capable of solving a number of tasks, and in the next five years their capabilities will significantly increase.