HELSINKI: Amazon plans to build delivery robot tech in Finland

HELSINKI: The Seattle-headquartered tech
giant said in a blog post that it is setting up a new “Development Center” to
support Amazon Scout, which is a fully electric autonomous delivery robot that
is being tested in four U.S. locations.

Two dozen
engineers will be based at the Amazon Scout Development Center in Helsinki
initially, the company said, adding that they will be focused on research and
development.

The
launch of the new development center in Helsinki comes half a year after Amazon
reportedly acquired local 3D modeling firm Umbra.

Amazon announced recently that it plans
to develop new technology for its autonomous delivery vehicles in Helsinki,
Finland.

The
Seattle-headquartered tech giant said in a blog
post that it is setting up a new “Development Center” to support Amazon Scout,
which is a fully electric autonomous delivery robot that is being tested in
four U.S. locations.

Two dozen
engineers will be based at the Amazon Scout Development Center in Helsinki
initially, the company said, adding that they will be focused on research and
development.

One of
their main aims will be to develop 3D software that “simulates the complexity
of real life” and ensures “Scout can navigate safely while making deliveries,”
Amazon said.

“The
Amazon Scout team in Helsinki will grow over time,” Amazon said. “We’re now hiring
engineers who are at the forefront of robotics and autonomous systems
technology.”

The
launch of the new development center in Helsinki comes half a year after Amazon reportedly acquired local 3D modeling firm Umbra,
which also has offices in the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region, according to
LinkedIn. Founded in 2006, Umbra reportedly raised $3.4 million from investors
before it was acquired.

“Umbra
empowers 3D graphics designers and engineers to create, optimize, share and
view their designs in real-time on virtually any device,” Umbra writes on its
LinkedIn page. “As the established gaming industry standard in graphics
optimization for more than a decade, Umbra is now redefining rapid
visualization for all industry ecosystems utilizing complex 3D models.”

Amazon
did not immediately respond when CNBC tried to confirm the acquisition.

It’s not
uncommon for Amazon to start up in a new city following a local acquisition.
Indeed, the company set up a presence in Cambridge, U.K., following the
acquisition of AI start-up Evi Technologies. Amazon in the U.K. started with
the acquisition of Bookpages, which is why Amazon was based in the English town
of Slough for decades.

Amazon
said the development center in Helsinki will work alongside Amazon staff at the
Amazon Scout R&D lab in Seattle, as well as teams in Tubingen, Germany and
Cambridge where Amazon has been developing delivery
drones for several years.

Roughly
the size of a small cooler, Amazon Scout vehicles can transport small packages
along sidewalks at walking pace.

Delivery
robots are widely seen as a potentially useful asset in last mile delivery but
they could also replace hundreds of thousands of jobs.

They’re
also being developed by Starship Technologies, which was set up in 2014 by
Skype co-founders Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla.

In
January, Starship said that its robots have
completed 1 million deliveries in countries including the U.K., the U.S.,
Estonia and Germany.