What we do‍

In 2021, we did a pilot with a delivery robot (Rosie) on the Erasmus University Rotterdam campus. With this we learned lessons about the interaction between humans and a self-driving robot. From the SPAR university branch, Rosie delivered groceries to students. It was the first grocery delivery service in the Netherlands to use a self-driving delivery robot.

In 2023, we did a follow-up project. At the same location, but with a different approach and supplier. With Rosie 2.0 from Delivers AI, students could order groceries from SPAR university again from March to May and the results could be compared to the first project.

Why we do it‍

By doing a second project at the same location, new insights have emerged about distances to drive, accessibility of destinations, interest (whether persistent or not) of the target group(s), interactions with the robot, behavioral change (if any) and potential for scaling up to public roads. In doing so, we took another step in the roadmap toward the ultimate goal of having the delivery robot on public roads.

In addition, two student groups were supervised: from the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Minor and the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. The students researched drafted learning questions in collaboration with the project team. These learning questions were drawn up in conjunction with the MRDH. Examples of learning questions that could be answered include: what are the restrictions for a delivery robot on a campus relative to public roads? What other types of locations are interesting cases? How do customers feel about paying for the service? What kind of interactions take place with the robot?

The result‍

There is a lot of potential to scale up delivery robots to other types of environments. The most interesting environments are vacation parks, hospitals, offices, other campuses and city centers. In this second project, orders were a lot lower than during the first project. Causes for this are (in combination) that students became familiar with the robot and the novelty effect normalized and the short distance to the delivery point from the SPAR university, which students could walk themselves.

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