• Reuters, Monday, December 21, 2015 1:49 PM

Former Skype co-founders have launched a new company, Starship Technologies, which is preparing to test their self-driving delivery robots in London. The as yet unnamed robots are small, safe, practical and free from CO2 emissions, according to the developers. "When you place your order online, as you do right now, but instead of getting the delivery by somebody coming up to your door and knocking on your door, you would get it by a robot," said Ahti Heinla, a Skype co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies. The robots can carry the equivalent of two bags of shopping and complete local deliveries in between five and 30 minutes from a designated hub or retail outlet. Heinla explained that the robots are not designed for long-distance orders, but for completing the final mile of a delivery. He said this puts the customer in control of their deliveries by allowing them to choose from a selection of short, precise delivery slots.

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