Nordic online retailer Foodora is working with Swedish telco Tele2 to test home deliveries with 5G technology in central Stockholm.

In this next step, the robot Doora will begin making food deliveries to a test group of customers, which means autonomous home deliveries are within reach.

The first phase in mid-March began with letting q-commerce robot Doora roll on the streets of Stockholm, with the autonomous robot being analysed for its ability to work around objects and passers-by. Doora also underwent tests around handling pedestrian crossings and kerbs.

In the next phase, which began last week, the tests continue with Doora delivering orders to customers via the Foodora platform. Foodora will analyse how well Doora works during collection and delivery, as well as collect feedback from partners and customers for the development of the service.

“The first test with Doora exceeded expectations,” said John Denbratt, chief logistics officer at Foodora. “Working with partners who are innovative and work quickly like us, is a good recipe. My hope for these tests is that we can soon start using the technology of the future with Foodora, and that Doora can become a common sight on the streets of Sweden, as we have other similar projects that will soon be launched.”

By being connected to Tele2’s 5G network, the Doora robot can perceive its surroundings, communicate and thus create a situation-adapted service for autonomous home deliveries. Doora has a camera that sends real-time information to Foodora, which can track and trace the robot and quickly send data to and from Doora.

“As we prepare for the expansion of 5G in Sweden, we are working in parallel with several other exciting projects where we look at how we can take advantage of the full potential of 5G,” said Stefan Trampus, executive vice president at Tele2. “This project that we are now doing together with Foodora is clearly one of the most exciting and we will be able to use the concept when we look at other industries and areas of use.”

IoT is a concept being applied to Swedish home deliveries. This means machines, vehicles, household appliances and other things are equipped with built-in connected sensors and processors. Foodora predicts the number of home deliveries will increase significantly in the future, which is why it is working to find smoother and better ways to adapt to the needs of the future.

Doora was tested around Stureplan and can transport food and other products weighing up to 20kg. The plan is that the pilot together with the two players will continue during the spring.

Doora can travel at up to 6km/hr, connects via 5G, has a battery life of eight hours and a charging time of four hours. It is made by Italian firm Yape Delivery.

Foodora is the largest q-commerce company in the Nordic. The market place has thousands of affiliated restaurants and shops. The owner of Foodora is Delivery Hero, which operates in 50 markets around the world.

Q-commerce (quick commerce) is a digital commerce offering launched by Foodora in May 2020. It means customers can, as well as restaurant food, have beauty products, books and technology delivered to their home within 30 minutes.