Starship delivery robots

In Finland, S-Group, a leading grocery retailer, is using innovative robotic delivery service in around 100 shops around Finland. Customers can order through the S-Group’s mobile app from Alepa and Sale stores.

Over the past year, these robots have become a familiar sight, delivering over 150 000 orders. In total the robots have made over 350,000 deliveries to customers and traveled a million kilometers in Finland. In Finland, Starship’s transport robots started operating in Otaniemi, Espoo, in April 2022. Finland has introduced rules for the use of small transport robots in public transport.

Although it only snows in the capital region from time to time, the robots have survived quite well during the test periods on the streets, even on icy surfaces and over large puddles. The robots use GPS tools and artificial intelligence to plan routes and learn the operating environment.

The robots are from Estonian-based ten years old company Starship Technologies. Starship Technologies develops battery-powered robots in Finland as well as Estonia. The headquarters are in the United States. Starship’s food robots have already traveled 15 million kilometers and made more than seven million autonomous deliveries around the world.

Starship’s robots have 12 cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar, and use computer vision to detect obstacles. Robots are almost completely autonomous. The robot uses the latest computer vision and GPS positioning to navigate. Although the robots travel autonomously 99 percent of the time, and a human can take control of them at any time. The robots have also a voice feature that allows it to communicate with those nearby.

A large part of our product development for robot technology and transport services has been done in Finland. The appearance of the robots has also been designed by the Finnish company Aivan. Finns designed a robot that is treated like an animal. Designer Antti Mäkelä says that the robots have been designed to be humane, sweet and approachable in order to protect them from vandalism.
“According to Mäkelä, it has been essential in the design of the robot that the 12 cameras located in the front of it have been hidden. In terms of the experience of friendliness and innocence, it is important that people do not feel that they are being snooped on.” – The essential thing is probably that when people are eavesdropped on, they don’t know it and therefore don’t feel that way.

Videos:

Starship Robots in the Finnish Winter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKg3WFlKz4U

How Alepa Food Delivery Robots are replacing human workers in Espoo, Finland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKI09vTf6d4

How a Robot Delivers Grocery in Finland! Amazing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS8fx4JRCF4

A Day in the Life of a Starship Robot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z417CncwQsg

Inside Starship Delivery Robots
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GpaAF3_lKA

Sources:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2025/02/13/starshipin-robotit-vievat-jo-woltin-ruuatkin/
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2024/12/18/konenako-helpottaa-kuljetusrobottien-toimintaa/
https://www.starship.xyz/
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/?s=Starship
https://yle.fi/a/74-20138076
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Technologies
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/25222-finnish-grocery-chain-expands-robotic-delivery-to-over-100-stores-by-year-end.html

Bonus video how to make your own:
Building a Delivery Robot (controlled by Live Chat) using Raspberry Pi 4 | Droiid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdV8n915Vwk