Speedy AI Robots Work At This Greek Postal Office So Parcels Reach You Faster
Image via Hellenic Post
The staff at the Hellenic Post in Greece are very different to the workforce at many other postal centers around the world. They’re small, sport four wheels, are made of bright yellow plastic, and whirr as they work.
Powered by artificial intelligence and rechargeable batteries, 55 of these autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are in charge of the parcel sorting process. Introduced to the Hellenic Post Group in mid-August, they’ve settled into the new routine quite well. Scanning and weighing parcels as well as emptying mail into sacks are tasks included in their job scope.
Every day, each AMR is capable of handling up to 168,000 pieces of mail, with the heaviest package they’re able to handle weighing in at 33 pounds. Therefore, almost 80% of the parcels put through the center are delegated to the bots, and next-day delivery can be achieved with more ease.
On a single charge, the bots can work continuously for about four hours. After that, just five minutes of recharge time is needed—a very short lunch break, if you will.
Image via Hellenic Post
According to a news release, the bots are able to use AI to increase sorting speeds by 250%, provide automatic weight calculation and item pricing, better protect the packages, and reduce the risk of COVID-19-related delays.
George Constantopoulos, Hellenic Post CEO, tells Reuters that manual labor requires more time while often yielding more errors, “causing delivery delays for our customers and increased costs for the company.”
However, he clarifies that “the purpose is not to replace human workers with robots, but rather to augment human workforces and make them more efficient.”
But just imagine a mailing center where an AMR sorts out your parcel before a zippy delivery drone picks it up to deliver it to your doorstep. With the way things are progressing, it doesn’t seem too far away in the future.
[via autoevolution, images via Hellenic Post]
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