The matter in summary: Foodora Norge is testing food delivery with robots at Fornebu in Bærum. The Norwegian Blind Association and Trygg Trafikk express concern about this new delivery method. They believe it can create obstacles and potential dangers for the visually impaired and wheelchair users. Trygg Trafikk also fears that pedestrians and cyclists may crash into the robots. Foodora emphasizes that safety is their first priority and that they want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with robot delivery. The company has no plans to downsize, and believes that robots and humans can collaborate on delivery in the future. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The next time you order food from Foodora, it may be delivered by a pink lunch box on six wheels. – We believe that robots are the future, and at least part of the future. That’s what the managing director of Foodora Norway, Prashant Søegaard, says. They will now test food delivery with a robot at Fornebu in Bærum. If everything goes according to plan, the pink food boxes can take care of home delivery in several Norwegian cities in the future. But not everyone is happy that the robots are taking over the pavements. PROUD: CEO of Foodora, Prashant Søegaard, shows off their latest offer. Photo: Fouad Acharki / news – People refuse to go out Confederation leader of the Norwegian Association of the Blind, Terje Andre Olsen, does not think anything of the fact that the Norwegian Road Administration has given Foodora permission to test out the new solution. – They don’t take into account that we don’t see. They also do not take into account that the pavements are narrow. According to divisional director of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Gry Horne Johansen, they have taken blind, partially sighted and wheelchair users into account in this case. She believes it is valuable to test out new technology on the roads. – In the longer term, you can reduce the number of large vehicles in the cityscape and rather replace them with smaller vehicles, such as this robot, writes Johansen in an email. The robots are equipped with sensors that make them stop if there is an obstacle in the way. Nevertheless, Olsen is afraid that they will lead to accidents. INCONSIDERATION: The leader of the Norwegian Association of the Blind, Terje Andre Olsen, believes that the authorities do not take blind people into account when they allow Foodora to test the delivery robot. Photo: Gorm Kallestad / NTB – We are also concerned that obstacles make people reluctant to go out. Olsen says that package delivery with robots has been tested in the past. According to him, a visually impaired person ended up in the ditch and was slightly injured. – We cannot have it like this in this country that it should be dangerous to walk on the pavement, Olsen asserts. Fear of ugly accidents Trygg Trafikk also believes that these robots will cause problems for people who are visually impaired or in wheelchairs. – They can both have problems seeing it, and also have problems moving around the robot. That’s what press manager at Trygg Trafikk, Christoffer Solstad Steen, says. He also fears that pedestrians and not least cyclists will crash into the robots. – If you come at a bit of speed on a bicycle, you can be seriously injured. Of course, we don’t want that. RISK: Press manager at Trygg Trafikk, Christoffer Solstad Steen, is afraid that the robots could lead to ugly accidents. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news Trygg Trafikk will keep a close eye on the tests at Fornebu. Steen says that problems can quickly arise if there are many robots on the pavements. – We saw it when the electric scooters came. In the end, Oslo municipality had to put a cap on the number of electric scooters, because it created so much chaos on the roads. Safety is the first priority The Foodora boss is more optimistic than Trygg Trafikk and the Association for the Blind. But Søegaard emphasizes that safety is the first priority. – We want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable with this. That is why the company is first testing the new Foodora offer at Fornebu. Here there are wide sidewalks that have room for both robots and people who use wheelchairs. FOOD TO GET: The robots have sensors that make them stop if they encounter an obstacle. Photo: Fouad Acharki / news – If the pavement is narrow, then it is probably not the best place to use that technology. Søegaard says that in some places it may be appropriate to use both robots and people to deliver food. In other words, there is no reason to fear that the robots will take over the jobs of the pink couriers, according to the Foodora manager. – We are growing faster than we have ever done, so there are no plans to downsize. Published 28.08.2024, at 20.08 Updated 28.08.2024, at 20.19
ttn-69
Robot couriers are taking over the streets – afraid that it will lead to accidents – Greater Oslo
