Woowa Brothers successfully ends test operation of food delivery robots

By Park Sae-jin Posted : December 30, 2019, 16:51 Updated : December 30, 2019, 16:51

[Courtesy of Woowa Brothers]

SEOUL -- Six-wheeled food delivery robots have successfully completed their test operation on a university campus in Seoul, traveling a total distance of 1,250 kilometers (776 miles). When students make orders using a delivery app, robots picked up food from nearby restaurants to deliver them to designated pickup spots.

Woowa Brothers, the operator of South Korea's most popular food delivery service app Baedal Minjok, said on Monday that five "Dilly" robots have cleverly made a total of 2,219 delivery runs during a 25-day test operation that began at Konkuk University in November. About 90 delivery orders were made daily.

Woowa said that it will develop upgraded and efficient robot delivery services based on data collected during the test run. "Students responded better than expected, and we received orders that exceeded our expectations every day," a Woowa official was quoted as saying. "Five robots went on delivery runs with no time to rest."

In an effort to differentiate its services from other delivery service operators, Woowa, founded in 2011, has focused on converging technology with various delivery methods. Dilly, a lineup of autonomous delivery robots, has been tested at restaurants.

Woowa and Yogiyo, the country's second-largest delivery service, joined hands earlier this month through the acquisition of shares to make an overseas foray into Southeast Asian countries. Delivery Hero, a Berlin-based online food delivery service which runs Yogiyo, agreed to acquire an 87 percent stake held by foreign and domestic investors in Woowa. The two companies agreed to set up an equally owned joint venture in Singapore.

South Korea's food delivery service market is backed by some 200,000 workers who mainly use the transportation of motorcycles. Smartphone apps are used widely so that customers can order lunch boxes, salads and side dishes from local restaurants as well as food from special non-delivery restaurants. While many restaurants operate their own delivery workers, major online delivery services link their businesses with delivery agencies to offer services.
기사 이미지 확대 보기
닫기