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Case study, last-mile logistics

Auto Vendi, an autonomous delivery robot

A delivery robot that takes an order from a phone app, drives itself through the building and brings a locked compartment to the person who ordered, who releases it from the app.

A hardware, B software, C AI

Auto Vendi II, a white box-shaped robot on four large wheels with a linked suspension, against a black background. A depth camera sits under the lid.
Auto Vendi II. Four large wheels on a linked suspension, and a depth camera under the lid.

What is Auto Vendi?

Auto Vendi is an autonomous delivery robot designed and built by WhiteHat Design Studio. A delivery robot fails in the gaps. The robot can drive perfectly and still be useless if the app cannot tell it where to go, or if the compartment will not release for the right person. Auto Vendi joins three inputs in one prototype: A, the robot and its lock; B, the app that takes the order and releases the lock; C, the mapping and detection that get it there.

The full sequence is on film: an order on the phone, the robot crossing a lobby and a corridor, and at the end the lock released from the phone and the lid lifted by hand.

How Auto Vendi works.

  1. Order

    The person chooses what they want and where it should go, in a phone app.

  2. Map and drive

    Visual SLAM builds the map as the robot moves, and it plans its route and avoids obstacles as they appear.

  3. See

    YOLOv8 object detection runs alongside the mapping.

  4. Hand over

    The compartment stays locked on the way. When the robot arrives, the app releases the lock and the person lifts the lid.

How Auto Vendi fits togetherThe phone app sends the order and destination, and a depth camera under the lid sees the way. Navigation and detection, with visual SLAM, YOLOv8 and obstacle avoidance, drive the four wheels on their linked suspension. When the delivery arrives, the app releases the compartment lock and the person lifts the lid.lock releasePhone appOrder anddestinationDepth cameraUnder the lidNavigation and detectionVisual SLAM, YOLOv8,obstacle avoidanceDriveFour wheels on alinked suspensionCompartmentLocked on the way,released by the app
The depth camera is the sensor visible under the lid in the photograph.
Auto Vendi driving along an indoor corridor while a person walks ahead of it.
Corridor navigation test.
Auto Vendi crossing a tiled lobby towards the camera.
On its way to the person who ordered.

On film.

Clips from the log. They have no sound, and each one says what happens.

1:33, no soundA phone shows the order being delivered. Auto Vendi crosses a tiled lobby and comes down a corridor to the person who ordered. At the end the phone releases the lock, and a hand lifts the lid to reach the compartment.
0:15, no soundAuto Vendi drives down a long indoor corridor. A person holding a phone walks beside it, then past it.

Questions about Auto Vendi

What is Auto Vendi?

Auto Vendi is an autonomous delivery robot designed and built by WhiteHat Design Studio. It takes an order from a phone app, drives itself through the building and brings a locked compartment to the person who ordered.

How does the person get their delivery?

The compartment stays locked on the way. When the robot arrives, the phone app releases the lock and the person lifts the lid.

Has Auto Vendi been tested outdoors?

Not in a published test. The published tests are indoors, in corridors and a lobby. The chassis is built for smooth and rough ground.

What we do not claim

  • The published tests are indoors, in corridors and a lobby. The chassis is built for smooth and rough ground, but no outdoor test is published yet.
  • No measured result is published yet.

Sources

Published , updated .

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