FedEx is shutting down its robotic same-day delivery service. A human in a FedEx uniform will now be delivering those packages instead. According to a leaked memo, “Roxo” the robot “did not meet necessary near-term value requirements.”
Earlier this month, FedEx Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer Sriram Krishnasamy informed employees that the company is eliminating Roxo, the FedEx Sameday Bot, according to an internal memo obtained by Robotics 24/7.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In his email, Krishnasamy told FedEx employees that the robotic delivery program “did not meet necessary near-term value requirements” for the company’s internal organizational program called “DRIVE.”
“Although robotics and automation are key pillars of our innovation strategy, Roxo did not meet necessary near-term value requirements for DRIVE,” Krishnasamy wrote. “Although we are ending the research and development efforts, Roxo served a valuable purpose: to rapidly advance our understanding and use of robotic technology.”
A FedEx spokesperson told Robotics 24/7 that the company is stepping back from the program as it focuses on “several nearer-term opportunities.”
In 2019, FedEx partnered with DEKA Research and Development Corp. and launched Roxo, designed to navigate around sidewalks, bike lanes, and roadways, and travel between pedestrians and parked cars to deliver last-mile packages to customers’ doorsteps.
“We are immensely proud of our role in working with DEKA to advance this cutting-edge technology that has put it on the path to future implementation, and we remain committed to exploring last mile innovations that align with our business strategy,” FedEx said.
“The collaboration with DEKA has been outstanding, and we will continue to explore compelling opportunities arising from the technologies we have developed together,” the company added.
FedEx isn’t the only company backpedaling on its plans for a robotic delivery.
Amazon is also scaling back its robot delivery service, recently announcing that the e-commerce giant is ending field testing of its six-wheeled delivery robot, “Scout.” The company, however, claims it will maintain a team tasked with working on its development.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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