Berlin – A strange car has been driving through Berlin since Friday: a big box on wheels making its way across the sidewalk at Spandauer Dame in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. It has two headlights that look like eyes and are full of modern technology. Here robot delivers pizza!
Daniel Richart, 38, has been working on the program with his team for eight years. The physicist is the managing director of Teraki in Berlin (50 employees). Specialization: Autonomous Driving. But you don’t have to start with a big sedan right away.
The robot can deliver up to ten pizzas
“The robot does not replace any employee,” Richart says. “It’s an extra offer. Many delivery services have trouble finding people at all.”
The delivery robot drives autonomously along the lanes of Charlottenburg. The work area is approximately one kilometer from the Domino’s pizza delivery service branch. When the customer arrives, he must enter a numeric code to unlock the loading area.
The customer receives a number code via the application. He opens the delivery room with her when the pizza’s there
PhD student Dustin Lyman (30 years old) is happy with the delivery
A car that costs less than 50,000 euros is designed to recognize obstacles and red traffic lights. Four cameras, four radars, a LIDAR scanner and four ultrasonic sensors ensure a safe flight.
There is room for ten pizzas in the reservation. Maximum speed: 6 km / h. The car takes about ten minutes to travel one kilometer. The robot learns with every meter of travel.
A lidar scanner scans the robot’s surroundings for potential obstructions
It is the first delivery robot to have the necessary permits to operate in public places, making it the only robot in Germany to operate on sidewalks – not in an enclosed area.
However, an employee with a remote control must still accompany the robot. In an emergency situation, he can intervene. Daniel Richart anticipates that approval for the fully independent operation will be granted by June at the latest.
