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And customers will, what, walk out to the robovan and dig through the boxes until they find theirs? Paying a guy to sit in the robovan and run the packages to

And customers will, what, walk out to the robovan and dig through the boxes until they find theirs? Paying a guy to sit in the robovan and run the packages to the door isn't going to be appreciably cheaper just because he sits in the passenger seat.

jaylevitt 14y ago
Robotically offering me a box seems significantly easier than robotically driving a freaking van.
- dinkumthinkum 14y ago
  Right, now we're talking about stuff that's a hundred years away (yeah I know Google car ...)
  - rogerbinns 14y ago
    What is still left to be done? Google has extremely detailed mapping and the self driving car works well in real traffic. (One advantage a car has over planes is that if things go horribly wrong it can just stop.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car There aren't any technical unknowns left. Obviously the algorithms will continue to be tweaked and improved. Importantly it can operate in the existing environment - there is no need for every car to switch to driverless at once.
lazerwalker 14y ago
Amazon already has "Amazon lockers" scattered across Manhattan where you can go pick up your packages from a kiosk inside a grocery store / drug store. You enter a pick-up code on the touchscreen, and a specified locker opens up with your goods inside it. It's easy to see how similar tech could be adapted for use inside a robovan.
- jwt 14y ago
  Any particular location you have seen this in NYC? Haven't seen it yet
  - lazerwalker 14y ago
    I've personally only used the one at the Gristedes in Sheridan Square, but based on their locator (http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/account/address/view.html/ref=locker_hp_search?viewID=searchStores http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/account/address/view.html/ref=l...) it looks like they have a good 15-16 in Manhattan and 3-4 in Queens/Brooklyn.

jaylevitt 14y ago

Robotically offering me a box seems significantly easier than robotically driving a freaking van.

dinkumthinkum 14y ago
Right, now we're talking about stuff that's a hundred years away (yeah I know Google car ...)
- rogerbinns 14y ago
  What is still left to be done? Google has extremely detailed mapping and the self driving car works well in real traffic. (One advantage a car has over planes is that if things go horribly wrong it can just stop.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_driverless_car There aren't any technical unknowns left. Obviously the algorithms will continue to be tweaked and improved. Importantly it can operate in the existing environment - there is no need for every car to switch to driverless at once.

lazerwalker 14y ago

Amazon already has "Amazon lockers" scattered across Manhattan where you can go pick up your packages from a kiosk inside a grocery store / drug store. You enter a pick-up code on the touchscreen, and a specified locker opens up with your goods inside it. It's easy to see how similar tech could be adapted for use inside a robovan.

jwt 14y ago
Any particular location you have seen this in NYC? Haven't seen it yet
- lazerwalker 14y ago
  I've personally only used the one at the Gristedes in Sheridan Square, but based on their locator (http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/account/address/view.html/ref=locker_hp_search?viewID=searchStores http://www.amazon.com/gp/css/account/address/view.html/ref=l...) it looks like they have a good 15-16 in Manhattan and 3-4 in Queens/Brooklyn.