FedEx to Test Robot for Same-Day Delivery

The project makes FedEx the latest in a growing stream of companies to test automated, unmanned machines to make deliveries. Inc. and United Parcel Service Inc. have demonstrated drones to deliver packages in certain areas, and Amazon has displayed a rolling robot it calls Scout in trials on city streets. Grocery chain Kroger Co. recently showed off an unmanned vehicle that can deliver groceries in certain markets, and several robotics startups are testing autonomous delivery robots that use sensors and cameras to navigate sidewalks for short trips, including lunch deliveries to crowded Beijing office buildings. But on-demand delivery companies such as Deliv Inc. and DoorDash Inc. that make point-to-point trips carrying food or e-commerce purchases typically rely on armies of couriers who travel by car, scooter or bicycle. "We think this particular opportunity is going to be the most cost effective in the marketplace," FedEx Chief Marketing Officer Brie Carere said in an interview Wednesday.