Forget UPS or FedEx. Your Amazon orders might one day arrive via a cute robot.
On Wednesday, the e-commerce giant unveiled Amazon Scout, the company's latest attempt to create an autonomous delivery system.
The six-wheeled robots are starting to deliver packages today in neighborhoods near Seattle as part of a field test. The devices themselves are about the size of a small cooler, and designed "to roll along sidewalks at a walking pace," VP Sean Scott wrote in a blog post.
"We developed Amazon Scout at our research and development lab in Seattle, ensuring the devices can safely and efficiently navigate around pets, pedestrians, and anything else in their path," Scott added.
You can see how it all works in the video above. The electric-powered machine will roll up to your home, and presumably ping your smartphone when it arrives. You'll then be able remove your order from the bot. Unfortunately, it looks like this means you'll have to be around to pick up your deliveries whenever Scout arrives.
Amazon's field test will begin in Snohomish County, Washington, with only six Scouts, which will deliver packages during daylight hours from Monday through Friday. But don't get any ideas about harassing the little robot. Scout will initially be accompanied by an Amazon employee as it makes deliveries.
Amazon didn't say when Scout will arrive in other cities. But Amazon isn't the only the player looking to robots to make customer deliveries. Grocery chain Kroger, logistics company Postmates, and others have also been testing out similar concepts, with mixed results.
For several years, Amazon has also been exploring using drones to deliver packages. But last year, the FAA shut the company out of a test program for aerial drone delivery system. In the meantime, the e-commerce giant has been focused on building a traffic management system for its air-based drones.