In a new urban area of ​​Hanoi, a delivery robot is being tested using AI (artificial intelligence). The robot moves on the road at a pre-programmed speed, handling obstacles or people while operating. This robot delivers goods along a pre-set route to the recipient. Initial results have shown positive signs.

Ideas from social distancing days

Driverless cars are a fairly new issue in Vietnam, so the fact that a robot operates by itself using AI technology surprised many people when they learned about this Startup. There was even a question raised with Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh about whether he was making things difficult for himself?

In Vietnam, in the field of driverless cars, FPT, Phenikaa-X and VinFast are the enterprises that have conducted initial experiments, laying the foundation for the market. However, most are still at the research level.

Not long ago, FPT created a self-driving electric car and tested it at Ecopark. However, FPT does not produce driverless cars like the giants Google and Tesla, but only focuses on developing automatic control software for cars, Mr. Hoang Nam Tien once shared in a talk show of VietNamNet Newspaper.

As for the unmanned delivery robot, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh's project is the first to be implemented in Vietnam. In the world, many large technology companies such as Amazon and Alibaba have begun testing delivery by autonomous robots.

The first unmanned delivery robot in Vietnam. (Photo: NVCC)

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, co-founder and CEO of Alpha Asimov Robotics, said that the idea of ​​the project started during the pandemic. During the period of social distancing, people limited going out and direct contact, at this time only delivery robots are effective tools in supporting the process of transporting goods.

That reality has inspired a person who studied computer programming and has experience working at Grab - Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh - to create a creative technology product, an automatic delivery robot, to solve the problem of short-term delivery of goods during the pandemic. Automatic delivery robots are also an inevitable trend in the future.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh started having the idea for Alpha Asimov Robotics in September 2021 and officially established the company in November. The product is still in the testing phase.

According to Statista estimates, the global Last-Mile Delivery market will reach $200 billion by 2027. The market for delivery by autonomous robots alone will reach $41 billion by 2027.

Solving the shipping cost problem

Mr. Tuan Anh said that in Vietnam, the cost of Last-Mile Delivery service (last mile delivery to users) is very high, accounting for up to 53% of total transportation costs. To deliver a food item, a motorbike and a driver are needed, with a total weight of more than 150kg, and the energy required for delivery is very large. While the delivery robot is only 50kg, the energy cost for delivery is greatly reduced. To increase efficiency and reduce delivery costs, the only way is to use robots.

In addition, in reality, goods from China to warehouses in Vietnam are cheaper than from warehouses to the recipient's home. These costs are paid by consumers.

Therefore, automating and increasing efficiency in this stage will lead to huge cost savings for the end user. This is also a great opportunity that Mr. Tuan Anh is determined to achieve.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh and Mr. Le Anh Son. (Photo: NVCC)

According to the introduction, the robot has a payload of 50kg, moving at a speed equivalent to a bicycle, at 15 - 25 km/h. Like a self-driving car, this robot is also equipped with cameras, sensors, and GPS technology. Thanks to the application of motion recognition technology, the robot can automatically adjust speed and avoid collisions.

Like other delivery services, after the user places an order and requests shipping, the supplier will proceed with the delivery based on the customer's location. Following the instructions, the delivery robot will automatically find its way to deliver the product to the customer.

Currently, the robot is 95% autonomous with most situations handled by itself, and the remaining 5% is left to humans in the lab to handle. Alpha Asimov is being tested in several urban areas in Hanoi such as Ecopark, VinUni, and Phenikaa.

In fact, implementing a delivery robot project is not easy. According to Mr. Tuan Anh, there are no legal regulations for these vehicles on the road.

“There are currently no regulations because this form is too new, so within the testing framework, robots only run in urban areas. In the near future, the new road traffic law will have additional provisions for new technology vehicles and new principles. This will create a legal corridor for new types such as Alpha Asimov,” said Mr. Tuan Anh.

To take advantage of technological support, Alpha Asimov has joined hands with Phenikaa-X from research and development to operational experience. Alpha Asimov's co-founder is Mr. Le Anh Son and Phenikaa-X company.

“When I first started, I saw that the idea of ​​autonomous delivery robots could expand to Southeast Asia and many other countries in the world, so I decided to find someone who could support me in implementing the project. I am very happy that Vietnam has large corporations that are really interested in and investing in this industry. In fact, Vietnam has great potential in this field, people are doing it for real, not just talking without doing anything,” he added.

Project bearing Vietnam's mark on the journey to the open sea. (Photo: NVCC)

Alpha Asimov's operating model has 20 members working in various locations "without borders", in the future there will also be a working group in Singapore.

Assessing the prospects, Mr. Tuan Anh said that with the current delivery costs, by 2026, the cost of delivery robots could be equal to that of human delivery people. From then on, the cost of delivery robots will become cheaper and cheaper. When the cost of delivery robots is equal to that of humans in Vietnam, the cost may be cheaper in other countries such as Singapore, UAE, Korea or Australia. Delivery robots are expected to replace the role of humans, providing a more suitable and cost-effective solution.

From the initial results, Mr. Tuan Anh expects that in the near future, Alpha Asimov will become familiar to people in urban areas. He sets a goal that in the future, this startup can dominate the Vietnamese market, and go beyond Southeast Asia.

(To be continued)

Vietnamnet.vn