Photo: Semi-Automated Postal Robotic Delivery Vehicle

July 18, 2007 by postal
Filed under: mail delivery, postal 

Just when postal carriers are concerned about contracting out, here comes a semi-automated robotic delivery vehicle (see photos below). According to the innovators website:

 SARA is a semi-automated postal deliver robotic vehicle. The concept is a proposal for a robotic vehicle for delivery of letters and flats in residential areas. Using state of the art navigation and positioning systems a robot could be developed to more efficently deliver common goods and handle easy transactions such as billing and charging for outgoing mail.

In this project we collaborated with Stanford professors to showcase one out of many conceivable uses for robotic applications. Hence that the system would not be fully autonomous but rather a working under human supervision. We concluded that many tasks of the postal delivery can and should be automated to gain savings in fuel and man hours.

 

Tags:

Comments

52 Comments on Photo: Semi-Automated Postal Robotic Delivery Vehicle

  1. Anonymous on Wed, 18th Jul 2007 3:26 pm

    2. DOIS says it has downtime

  2. Truthiness on Wed, 18th Jul 2007 5:47 pm

    3. Somebody must have went to see the Transformer’s movie. Sheeze give it a rest nerds.

  3. Kelly on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 7:25 am

    4. sounds like someone in the Mechanics Division will be doing a lot of troubleshooting. Am betting someone hoses this down with water and shortcircuits the whole Shebang!

  4. Anonymous on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 10:28 am

    5. and when we were going thru automation the carriers were laughing that they would never be touched.. who’s laughung now??

    the aoto clerk

  5. New York Carrier. on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 11:52 am

    6. I would love to see this when it snows.or in the drug infested part of city.It will be striped as soon as it hits the street. WHAT A WASTE!!!!!!!

  6. Union Carrier on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 1:43 pm

    7. Is it bulletproof?

  7. Mike on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 2:18 pm

    8. So they managed to automate clerk and carrier jobs and to increase the numbers of supervisors…..

  8. Mike on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 2:20 pm

    9. It has a built in shredder for letters of warning.

  9. PMR on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 3:56 pm

    10. Is it safe driving in the crosswalks and on the sidewalks? Some cities didn’t like the Segway HTs.

  10. retired1 on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 4:14 pm

    11. Can we program it to run over INCOMPETENT POSTAL MANAGERS?

  11. Am I Crazy? on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 4:55 pm

    12. How much do you think the thugs will get for it when they rob it? Can it be stripped for parts? Is it chewable?

  12. Anonymous on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 5:10 pm

    13. HA! What a joke!…..

  13. Ken on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 5:14 pm

    14. And the mail will be secure HOW?

  14. Postalchic on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 7:51 pm

    15. This thing is a joke. But eventually the joke will be on us.

  15. Al on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 8:54 pm

    16. I would like to see it deliver to mailboxes that have cars parked in front of them.

  16. jack potter on Thu, 19th Jul 2007 9:51 pm

    17. We should then get computers to replace the inefficient buracracy at L’Enfant Plaza. Computerize the PMG and all vice presidents and let the computers interact.

  17. VMMP on Fri, 20th Jul 2007 2:34 am

    18. Will these mean more work for the VMF

  18. Retired on Fri, 20th Jul 2007 5:12 am

    19. McDonald’s will lose money now, no carriers taking breaks there for 2 hours a day.

  19. cityslug on Fri, 20th Jul 2007 1:40 pm

    20. I thought that we were looking at trouble down the road when Sony came out with the development of the walking robot. I always knew something like this would come down the pipe eventually.

  20. Reality on Sat, 21st Jul 2007 8:44 am

    21. Pie in the sky dream. Just like the fully automated “Lights out” plant of ten years ago.

  21. pipe dream on Sat, 21st Jul 2007 3:29 pm

    22. I worked for UPS in the early 90’s and they tried to brain wash us with a robotic arm to load the trucks. Today, still no robotic arm.

  22. Anonymous on Sat, 21st Jul 2007 5:41 pm

    23. how will it climb stairs and open gang boxes?

  23. buffalobob on Sat, 21st Jul 2007 8:31 pm

    24. can it carry a 3rd bundle?????? can it file a grievance on forced ot?????? does it have to carry a satchel????? and if it calls in sick with I get a official discussion or letter of warning for abuse of my union negotiated sick time?????

  24. buffalobob on Sat, 21st Jul 2007 8:33 pm

    25. Can they design one to eliminate supervisors and 204b’s?

  25. postal worker on Sun, 22nd Jul 2007 11:11 pm

    26. Get real!!!! Note the stupid thing is going down the sidewalk-these are public sidewalks unlike your mailbox which the USPS says no one but USPS can put anything in your mailbox-yet they do NOT supply our mailboxes we have to buy our own! Incredible–the person thinking this one up must be watching too much sci-fi movies!!!

  26. anon on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 3:44 am

    27. Sara will be great at running over children and pets, can only be programmed to deliver mail for perfect developments…..not in the real world. The post office should work on developing robotic supervisors; not robotic carriers.

  27. Toaster Fluid on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 9:58 am

    28. Will it detect the theif that follows it around waiting for it to put the mail in the box? What about the mischievious kid that thinks jumping on it and taking a ride would be a blast, and then falls off and gets hurt and the parents SUE the USPS? Can it report an injury when a dog bites off one of its tires? What about when it rains, will it short circuit, no more rain, snow, or shine!

  28. RuRu on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 5:41 pm

    29. Thanks to inventions like these, and the bean counters that sit behind a desk all day trying to figure out more dumb ways to cut costs and corners, I’m sure the “Letter Carriers” will still be delivering the mail for another 30 years +..One of the few agencies where if you can’t do your job, you get to be a boss and tell everyone else how to do the same job he/she couldn’t do!!!

  29. I cannot believe it......... on Tue, 24th Jul 2007 1:32 pm

    30. Now I see why we get such lousy raises. The PO is spending millions on ” bs ” like this.

  30. Lucky Legs on Tue, 24th Jul 2007 6:27 pm

    31. The computing power I can now hold in the palm of my hand used to take rooms to hold. I believe that a robotic mechanism could be fitted with today’s sensor technology and easily deliver a curbline route. If the PO had to buy everyone a specially designed mailbox for delivery they could recoup the the costs from eliminated salaries and benefits. Don’t get too cocky, it isn’t impossible! And if mangle-ment can eliminate carriers their bonus will increase. That’s all the incentive they need!

  31. ricky@bp on Tue, 24th Jul 2007 7:36 pm

    32. How much can we sue the PO for if we get run over by it?? Hmmmmm….

  32. Head Shaker on Wed, 25th Jul 2007 12:38 pm

    33. We’re paying how much for this?

  33. Beware the pre terminator on Wed, 25th Jul 2007 5:51 pm

    34. What you don’t see is that the thing is very modular, with all different things that can be dropped inside the bucket between the wheels. There is probably a clipboard and a stopwatch and a remote video camera to watch the carrier on a route count. There is another module you can drop in that will go get coffee for the supervisor and give him hints on how to compose a grammatical email and also help the supervisor with the solitaire game. There is even a module that will park by your house and monitor your new mandatory RFID implant if you call in sick. Another module in the works will go find a missing supervisor in a bar, take him back to the PO, clean him up and do a few reports for him too….

  34. Plehanen on Fri, 10th Aug 2007 9:09 pm

    35. The Japanese have already built a smaller, cheaper, and more reliable version.

  35. PARTS DEPT. on Sat, 22nd Sep 2007 7:16 pm

    36. CAN YOU BRING IT AROUND BACK PLEASE

  36. PARTS DEPT. on Sat, 22nd Sep 2007 7:20 pm

    37. I TOLD YOU THEY DONT LIVE HERE ANYMORE, TAKE THOSE HEADPHONES OFF, I KNOW YOUR IN THERE.

  37. a customer on Wed, 26th Sep 2007 6:36 pm

    38. i have a question about the mail im sending? hello, can you hear me? hello? dumb ass postal worker.

  38. where's my mail on Wed, 26th Sep 2007 6:38 pm

    39. yeah, i haven’t recieved mail in like 3 months! my business is on the third floor! no, we don’t have an elevator!

  39. P. T Barnum on Thu, 27th Sep 2007 8:22 am

    40. Management is smart! Spend millions of dollars to save pennies! Here’s an idea for Potter & Co. to discuss, I have seeds that grow money trees! Only $10,000.00 each. ANOTHER SUCKER BORN.

  40. Whatever Floats Your Boat on Thu, 27th Sep 2007 8:29 am

    41. Does it drive up to the porch for parcels and accountable mail deliveries?

  41. Postal Supervisor on Thu, 27th Sep 2007 8:37 am

    42. Hey “Wheres my Mail.” I apologize for you not receiving any mail. Just to let you know, carriers have the responsibility and duty to deliver every piece of mail they get for their patrons unless you have moved and it is not forwardable. Here is my suggestion to you:
    Maybe you should take your FAT @#! down to the lobby of your building and take the mail out of the mailbox there!

  42. Rt 2 Ron on Wed, 21st Nov 2007 9:42 pm

    43. I Would like to see this thing handle a rural rt in a blizzard in Wisconsin. Or even on trash day? I guess the inventor did not know that mailboxes and trash cans are married!!!!!!!!!!

  43. Rural carrier using his own vehicle on Tue, 18th Dec 2007 5:15 pm

    44. Management needs to start working on real ideas not just day dreaming … ; )

  44. Anonymous on Tue, 5th Feb 2008 5:24 pm

    45. One word, “Segway!”

  45. Anonymous on Fri, 22nd Feb 2008 9:24 am

    46. “and when we were going thru automation the carriers were laughing that they would never be touched.. who’s laughung now??”….We are still laughing aren’t you, this is funny stuff.

  46. Anonymous on Fri, 22nd Feb 2008 9:26 am

    47. “September 26th, 2007 at 6:36 pm
    i have a question about the mail im sending? hello, can you hear me? hello? dumb ass postal worker.”

    Here speak into my mick bitch

  47. Anonymous on Fri, 22nd Feb 2008 9:30 am

    48. “McDonald’s will lose money now, no carriers taking breaks there for 2 hours a day.”….sorry pal maybe in your day since you seem to know so much.I know you were the hardest working person in the PO.BLAH,BLAH,BLAH.

  48. larry on Fri, 22nd Feb 2008 12:06 pm

    49. This is exactly what is wrong with the PO now. Trying to get mail carriers to kill themselves delivering sometimes immense amounts of mail volume (boxholders thrown in tubs, not making businesses stay within guidelines of mail letter size, etc.)If Mgnt would spend time running everything in DPS that is supposed to go in there, making businesses conform to guidelines, stop letting people block mailboxes just out of stupidity or arrogance, then the PO could save millions in man hours, carrier time on the street, carriers driving unsafely due to the 5:00 pm return time and incdreased accidents due to that.

  49. Anonymous on Sat, 15th Mar 2008 9:18 am

    50. Maybe my package would get to it’s final destination! Sent a package 2/1/08 “priority mail” which I had to pay $27.50 and my party recieved it 2/19/08! What’s up with that?
    P.S. They never got my first package and it never came back to me!
    P.S.S. Will be using Fedex! Their system seems to work!!

  50. Wake Up !!!!! on Fri, 1st Aug 2008 8:52 am

    51. USPS system sucks so bad, this would be an improvement. What we have now is exactly what you get when you let the government run something as simple as delivering a piece of freaking mail. Come on you bunch of communists, let private industry take it over and improve it…

  51. DISGUSTED on Sun, 23rd Nov 2008 2:57 pm

    52. WOW SUPERTVIORS DREAM NO HUMAN INTERACTION WILL IT ANSWER THE PHONE AFTER THE 25TH RING? CAN I TRY IT OUT IN THE HOOD TO DELIEVER ON CHECK DAY?

  52. DUMB@$$ on Sun, 23rd Nov 2008 3:00 pm

    53. ANOTHER WASTE OF MONEY !!!!!!!!