Robot Delivery Association formed to promote autonomous delivery services

March 3, 2022

Eight major companies join forces to advance robot delivery

The Robot Delivery Association has been established with the goal of promoting delivery services using autonomous delivery robots. The founding members include eight companies: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, ZMP (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President Tsune Taniguchi), TIS, Tiafor (Nakamura-ku, Nagoya; CTO Shinpei Kato), Japan Post, Panasonic, Honda, and Rakuten Group.

Focus on safety and public road guidelines

As a first step, the association will work on establishing safety standards and operational guidelines for delivery robots operating on public roads. The aim is to ensure safe integration of these robots into existing logistics and transportation networks.

Toward wider adoption in 2024 and beyond

“This year marks the beginning of widespread adoption of robot delivery,” said Koji Ando, Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Group. “We welcome participation not only from logistics companies, but also from those involved in robotics and delivery robot development.”