Post Office 'Delivery Robot' Pilot Operation Starting in October

Autonomous Mobile Post Office (Developed by PostCube)

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] #1. Office worker A does not go to the post office when sending a package. They simply go to the designated place at the designated time via the Post Office app and load the package onto the autonomous unmanned post office vehicle waiting there. This vehicle then drives itself to the post office. The same applies when receiving a package. By going out at the time notified through the Post Office app and entering the password, the package can be received.

#2. Housewife B, who lives in an apartment, waits for the day the package arrives with her child. This is because a delivery robot brings the package. The delivery robot senses its surroundings and moves autonomously to arrive at the first floor of the apartment, where the child enters the password and retrieves the package.

The post office is set to transform into a venue for advanced autonomous driving robots in the future. The Ministry of Science and ICT’s Postal Service Headquarters announced on the 28th that starting this October, it will pilot autonomous mobile post offices, postal delivery robots, and mail carrier follower robots that incorporate technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence. At the kickoff meeting for the development of autonomous postal logistics service technology held on the same day, the Postal Service Headquarters announced that it is promoting this project to innovate future logistics services. The goal is to innovate across all postal logistics tasks including acceptance, sorting, transportation, and delivery.

Mobile Post Office, Delivery Robots, Mail Carrier Helper Robots

Mail Delivery Robot (Twiny)

First, the post office will begin pilot operation to run autonomous mobile post offices. This robot combines autonomous driving with unmanned postal acceptance and delivery technology. It will be piloted within smart cities and autonomous driving special zones. Through the Post Office app, users can send or receive registered and parcel mail at designated times and places.

Postal delivery robots are mainly used for last-mile delivery services on university campuses or large apartment complexes. Similar to the autonomous mobile post office, when a postal item receipt is requested via the Post Office app, the delivery robot moves to the designated location. By entering a password previously sent to the smartphone, the postal item can be received.

The mail carrier follower robot accompanies the mail carrier carrying heavy parcel mail and assists with delivery. It autonomously moves back and forth to the parcel storage area, handing over packages to the mail carrier who then delivers them. Since the follower robot shares the labor intensity, the mail carrier can focus solely on delivery.

Assessing Actual Application by the End of Next Year

Mail Carrier Following Robot (Unmanned Solution)

Domestic small and medium-sized venture companies are participating in this project, which will conduct a 21-month pilot operation until the end of next year. The Postal Service Headquarters will decide whether to deploy actual robots in the field based on this. During the pilot operation period, the government plans to support technology verification and conformity testing to help these companies commercialize their products and secure overseas competitiveness.

This project is expected to have a significant impact on the commercialization of delivery robots. Amazon has already started product delivery services in Irvine, California, USA. In Germany, mail carrier follower robots are active in the central Bad Hersfeld region.

Jongseok Park, head of the Postal Service Headquarters, said, "Technology development utilizing science, technology, and ICT will be a turning point for changes in postal services," adding, "Through logistics automation and efficiency applying new technologies, the workload of mail carriers will be reduced, and working conditions will be dramatically improved by preventing safety accidents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.