Yandex has long been testing courier robots in Moscow: boxes on wheels are capable of transporting anything from documentation to hot food. At first, they were tested only on corporate territory, then the geography gradually expanded – such robots can be found in Khamovniki and in the area of the Belorusskaya metro station. The robots are capable of transporting up to 20 kilograms of products, stronger than any living delivery man. Yet while self-propelled pizzas haven’t replaced live couriers, they still run down sidewalks and patios with thick bags on their backs. Now they have a new spherical competitor. As Edcar CEO Leonid Golofeev said, Kolobok is even capable of delivering food and parcels using 5G technology.
In appearance, the robot is simply a ball. The diameter of the test sample is about 40 centimeters. It should be enough for a small set of groceries. It has a special niche that the recipient can open, and sensors – Kolobok has perfect computer vision. Comrade Yellow is launched by a program on a laptop and from a mobile device. You can set points A and B, and the “Kolobok” will roll where you want. On the laptop screen, following the movement of the robot, you can see how it avoids obstacles. In the pavilion, the furniture is spinning, on the street it gently descends from the mound to the sidewalk. At a speed of about 15 km/h, the ball rolls without wheels. According to Leonid Golofeev, it incorporates a special motor that allows it to rotate 360 degrees and change direction easily. Inside the “Kolobok” there is also a speaker. With it you can warn pedestrians: tell them: give way. However, people who saw the “Kolobok” on the street froze in surprise.
At the moment this is just a test sample. In the near future, the company “Edcar” intends to start producing MVP, that is, a real Kolobok concept, which will be able to deliver products to consumers. It is assumed that, to begin with, the robot will be able to deliver small cargoes in the residential areas of the Ostankino district. The developers believe that with the help of such a “Kolobok” it will also be possible to patrol the streets; after all, you can quickly transfer the captured video to the operating services console using high-speed Internet in 5G format.
