Google: goodbye to the delivery guy with the cars to autonomous driving

Google's investment in the field of self-driving cars are certainly not a mystery, but recently awarded a patent by the USPTO to Bigg shows what could be one of the possible uses of the technology created by the point in this area. Specifically, the patent entitled "Autonomous Delivery Platform", (published on February 9), relates to a delivery management system of the automated, structured not by the use of flying drones, but using in autonomous driving vehicles specially equipped to allow the recipient of taking the goods transported.

Documents attached to the patent application provides useful information to understand the working principle: the car is able to receive information about, reach independently and is equipped with multiple safety compartments inside of which can be placed the packages to be delivered. The recipient of the goods can enter the compartment that contains it through the insertion of specific information. To illustrate the operation, the documentation refers to the presence of an integrated numeric keypad in each sector through which you can enter a code for opening the same.

It 's still early to say whether, in the future, in flesh and bones couriers will leave room for cars to autonomous driving can do the same job. Google is actively working to continue the testing activities of innovative vehicles, but its projects are still far from being finalized, to be a need to refine the technology, both for understandable implications in terms of compliance of with the legislation that regulates the use of motor vehicles on the road.

Change the delivery technique compared with the model adopted by Amazon Prime Air and by Google itself with Project Wing - both based on the use of drones ready to sail the skies - but it does not change the main purpose of the new "hi-tech platforms" for deliveries, which is to speed up traffic and position itself as an ideal complement to the e-store. Compared to flying drones, the cars to autonomous driving have the advantage of having many fewer constraints from the point of view of load capacity.

Being new activities, all yet to be structured, regulatory and implement, it is not surprising that the main companies involved are buying up patents to be used in the future. Google itself, for example, has recently patented a smart box for deliveries with the drones. The delivery boy, for the moment, can sleep nights sleep, but in an unspecified future, his contribution may be reduced.