BGF Retail launches robot delivery pilot service
The retailer has partnered with Hyundai’s MOBINN to start testing autonomous deliveries with employee-only service through a CU convenience store.
BGF Retail, the operator of the CU chain of convenience stores, has confirmed it has entered a business agreement with Hyundai’s in-house startup MOBINN to launch a robot delivery pilot service. The test is scheduled to begin in September with the deployment of the autonomous systems equipped with obstacle-overcoming technology developed by the subsidiary.
Both firms have established a last-mile business consultative body to supervise the pilot phase of the service. Robot delivery will first be offered to employee apartments in Hwaseong, near Hyundai’s Namyang R&D Center, with packages prepared and monitored by a neighbouring CU store.
According to a report by local news site Korea Bizwire, the pilot phase will test the indoor and outdoor driving performance of delivery robots as well as their capabilities to evade and overcome obstacles. This information will be verified from the point of departure to arrival.
The retailer will evaluate the possibility of implementing autonomous delivery of orders placed through the CU app as one of the next steps of the testing period. MOBINN’s robots have proven to be capable of moving up and down stairs as well as traversing through the street while keeping cargo boxes stable when avoiding obstacles.
Drone delivery is one of the top trends for the convenience store business in South Korea. Throughout 2022, several retailers have commenced their respective pilot tests to evaluate customer reception of the service. While most companies are testing air-deliveries, BGF aims to deploy ground delivery which eliminates the need of requiring official permits by the government to guide robots through national airspace.
