• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Your Membership
    • Edit Your Profile
  • Services
    • Advertising
    • Case studies
    • Design
    • Email marketing
    • Lead generation
    • Magazine
    • Press releases
    • Publishing
    • Sponsored posts
    • Webcasting
    • Webinars
    • White papers
    • Writing
  • Shop
    • My Account
    • Cart
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Terms of use
  • Events

Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

  • News
  • Features
  • Video
  • Webinars
  • White papers
  • Press releases
  • Featured companies
    • AMD Xilinx
    • BlueBotics
    • Elite Robot
    • RGo Robotics
    • SICK Sensor Intelligence
    • Vicor Power
rajapack-uk-packaging-warehouse

Last-mile logistics: Our cities are getting smarter

July 8, 2018 by Sam Francis

Once firmly in the realm of science-fiction, technological advances mean the concept of a “smart city” is now closer than ever to science-fact.

But, what does the concept mean? And how will it actually affect our day to day lives?

A smart city is a place where absolutely everything is connected and streamlined to work in sync with everything else. 

The marriage between automation and data create an efficient, sustainable economy where the whole metropolis is designed to improve the quality of life for every person living there.

How smart are we now?

Smart technology is already here. Smartphones are more popular than ever and seamlessly connect people to the world around them.

They’re used in place of cards and cash, with many banking services now running directly through smartphones.

Want a taxi? Out comes the smartphone. Fancy a burger? You have restaurants, reviews, and online vouchers at your fingertips.

This expectation of faster, streamlined services is now spreading to more and more aspects of our lives and the expectation of faster services is now ingrained in our consciousness.

To keep up with this trend towards greatly reduced delivery times a variety of technologies are already in development.

Smart cities will demand smarter logistics

It’s during the last-mile of the logistics stream where we are already beginning to see new technologies emerging and trials taking place. The last mile refers to the final stage of the delivery process which gets the ordered goods into the hands of the consumer.

When we place an order online, a lot of us are no longer willing to wait 3-5 days for delivery. In larger cities, it’s now possible to place an order and have your items in your hand within an hour.

This means companies who embrace technology designed to speed up delivery times will be more likely to succeed than those who are slower to adapt.

Two companies that are already embracing the technology are Mindful Chef and Trouva. They spoke in detail about how they are adapting to new trends in this in-depth look at The Future of Last Mile Logistics.

What can we expect to see first?

Currently, the two most likely means of speeding up the last mile of the supply chain are drone deliveries and automated ground vehicles (AGVs). Both of these are already well into testing, with a number of companies already running trials to figure out the plausibility of everyday usage.

Drones are currently expected to be one of the biggest new technologies we’ll start to see buzzing over our heads.

The ones being tested can carry up to 15 kg and take the most direct route from the warehouse to the final destination. They are the first choice for super-fast delivery times because a one-hour delivery slot is easy to achieve if it can literally travel as the crow flies.

However, it’s likely drones will be more common in rural areas – at least for the time being – as within cities there are still literal obstacles to work around.

It’s much more likely we’ll soon begin to see AGVs on our city streets. A few fast food companies have already trialled automated deliveries using small robotic vehicles, and on the whole, these have been a success.

With huge corporations already confident enough in these technologies to invest huge amounts of time and money in them, you can expect to be sharing the streets with AGVs very soon. And don’t be surprised if you’re on the 12th floor of an office building watching delivery drones fly past the window.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Print
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Pinterest
  • Skype
  • WhatsApp
  • Telegram
  • Pocket

You might also like…

Filed Under: Logistics, Transportation Tagged With: last-mile logistics, rajapack

Join the Robotics & Automation News community

Primary Sidebar

Latest articles

  • 5 Benefits of Using 3D Interior Design Models
  • How Packing Machines are Making Their Way into Garden Shops
  • Plastic Injection Molding Machines: Types and Benefits
  • 6 Safety Tips for Riding an Electric Bike
  • Essential Types of Contact Center Automations
  • Acieta unveils new collaborative robotic system for welding
  • Amazon to acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion
  • Will Automated Pre Roll Machines Boost Your Revenue?
  • Telexistence to install AI re-stocking robots in 300 convenience stores across Japan
  • Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

Most Read

  • Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
    Top 20 electric vehicle charging station companies
  • Stäubli Robotics and Quantum Surgical partner to develop robotic platform for cancer surgery
    Stäubli Robotics and Quantum Surgical partner to develop robotic platform for cancer surgery
  • Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
    Difference Between Three-Phase and Single-Phase Power
  • Beyond Imagination receives order for 1,000 humanoid robots
    Beyond Imagination receives order for 1,000 humanoid robots
  • Kuka receives ‘record orders’ in first six months of year
    Kuka receives ‘record orders’ in first six months of year
  • Track your lost Android
    Track your lost Android
  • Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
    Top 20 programmable logic controller manufacturers
  • Denso and Honeywell to develop electric engine for Lilium Jet
    Denso and Honeywell to develop electric engine for Lilium Jet
  • Top 25 vertical farming companies
    Top 25 vertical farming companies
  • The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022
    The Best Mechanical Engineering Design Software in 2022

Overused words

abb ai applications automated automation automotive autonomous business china companies company control customers data design development digital electric global industrial industry logistics machine manufacturing market mobile platform process production robot robotic robotics robots safety software solution solutions system systems technologies technology time vehicle vehicles warehouse

Secondary Sidebar

Latest news

  • 5 Benefits of Using 3D Interior Design Models
  • How Packing Machines are Making Their Way into Garden Shops
  • Plastic Injection Molding Machines: Types and Benefits
  • 6 Safety Tips for Riding an Electric Bike
  • Essential Types of Contact Center Automations
  • Acieta unveils new collaborative robotic system for welding
  • Amazon to acquire iRobot for $1.7 billion
  • Will Automated Pre Roll Machines Boost Your Revenue?
  • Telexistence to install AI re-stocking robots in 300 convenience stores across Japan
  • Volvo Group to establish battery production plant in Sweden

Footer

We are…

Robotics and Automation News was established in May, 2015, and is now one of the most widely-read websites in its category.

Please consider supporting us by becoming a paying subscriber, or through advertising and sponsorships, or by purchasing products and services through our shop – or a combination of all of the above.

Thank you.

Independent

Archivists

July 2018
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Jun   Aug »

Complex

Old-skool

This website and its associated magazine, and weekly newsletter, are all produced by a small team of experienced journalists and media professionals.

If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact us at any of the email addresses on our contact page.

We’d be happy to hear from you, and will always reply as soon as possible.

Future-facing

Free, fair and legal

We support the principles of net neutrality and equal opportunities.

Member of The Internet Defense League

Copyright © 2022 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT