If you see a small, blue autonomous Prime delivery carrier strolling on the sidewalk through your neighborhood, don't be alarmed.
That's Scout, Amazon's latest delivery innovation.
The shipping and merchant giant announced Tuesday that Amazon Scout, a fully-electric delivery system that can deliver packages to customers using autonomous delivery devices, has expanded its testing area to Atlanta and Franklin, Tenn. The Scout robots are now delivering packages to select customers around town, according to a blog post on Amazon's website.
Amazon Scout launched at the beginning of 2020, delivering purchases made on Amazon while dodging blockades on sidewalks --- from surfboards to luggage to refrigerators to even Christmas trees destined for the trash. Thanks to partnerships with Snohomish County, Washington, and the Irvine-area of California, the program has continued to operate during the pandemic.
"One of the things I’m most proud of is that these devices have brought small moments of joy for communities staying at home. Seeing our adora-bots roll past, children have shared thank you cards with the Amazon Scout Ambassadors who accompany our devices," Sean Scott, VP of Amazon Scout, wrote in the blog post.
Each Amazon Scout delivery robot is the size of a cooler that moves at a walking pace to navigate around people, animals and other objects in its path. Deliveries with Amazon Scout will begin with a small batch of robots in each city, delivering Monday through Friday during the daytime. The robots will autonomously follow their delivery route and initially will be accompanied by an Amazon Scout Ambassador.
So how do you get one of these babies on your doorstep? Well, it's not really up to you. Customers in Atlanta and Franklin will make purchases as usual and their items will be delivered by a regular carrier partner or Amazon Scout. The robots will deliver free same-day, one-day and two-day shipping for Prime members.
"We're thrilled to bring Amazon Scout to two new communities. Adding Atlanta and Franklin to our existing operations gives Scout devices the opportunity to operate in varied neighborhoods with different climates than they operate in today. Amazon also has a significant presence in these areas through our corporate offices and logistics facilities. And, we know they are both great places to find world-class talent that can help us continue inventing for customers," Scott wrote.
In addition to launching the Amazon Scout delivery robots, the company announced it is looking to partner with local schools near operations in Atlanta and Franklin to support STEM and robotics activities. The company wishes to "build the next generation of innovators in both cities."
"Expanding our field test to Atlanta and Franklin is one of the many steps forward for this new delivery system and on our path to net zero carbon by 2040. During a time when so many of our customers rely on us to get what they need, bringing Scout to these new locations supplements our transportation network and increases our capacity to deliver what our customers want: great selection, low prices and fast shipping speeds," Scott wrote.
In terms of jobs, an Amazon spokesperson told Atlanta Inno that the company has built a team of technical and operations professionals in the city and will continue to grow the Amazon Scout team.
"Amazon Scout provides unique opportunities for employees to develop their skills in robotics, program management and operations and we’re proud to bring these opportunities to the area. This is in addition to existing 3,500+ full-time jobs Amazon has already created in Georgia – and we continue to hire," Av Raichura Zammit said in an email.
The news comes just as the shipping giant announced it would delay Prime Day, a two-day celebration of the company's anniversary combined with significant sales and price cuts on Amazon that rival Black Friday, due to inventory issues brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon has announced Prime Day will kick off in India in August, but no word on when the celebration will begin in the United States.
— Amazon (@amazon) July 21, 2020
