Kippax and Swarcliffe have welcomed the Co-Op and Starship Technologies grocery delivery robots which already operate in the Adel and Tinshill areas of Leeds.
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00:00 Co-op and Starship Technologies have expanded their autonomous online grocery delivery services
00:09 to Swarcliffe and here in Kippax. Already operating in Adel and Tinsel, a further 12,000
00:15 households are now able to hop onto an app, fill their virtual basket and one of the team
00:21 at their local store will gather the goods before placing them into one of these. They've
00:26 certainly been a talking point in Adel and Tinsel and Kippax residents have already spotted
00:31 them out and about. Despite the current roadworks and other daily obstacles, the robots will
00:37 always find a way, although one resident had spotted four teenagers give one a helping
00:41 hand when he got stuck on a kerb. Here's some other local reaction.
00:46 "I think they're actually really cool. They're very fast and they do bump into a few things
00:51 every now and then but they're not too bad. They don't get in my way so I'm not too fast.
00:57 I won't be using them myself because I live way too close to the shop to justify it but
01:01 they're cool." "Absolutely fabulous. You just see them trundling
01:06 past and obviously I work in a local chemist and the people are smiling and happy. It's
01:12 just making the whole village so happy. I think they're amazing. I want them to come
01:17 to our house. Yeah, I'll be doing that. Absolutely." "I suppose it's a good idea. I can see the
01:25 purpose of them and why they could be good going forward. Obviously it's caused a bit
01:29 of interest and a stir in the village. I've seen children outspotting them and things
01:34 like that but I guess I don't know enough about them myself. I can see some difficulties.
01:42 I've seen a few trying to get up steps and things like that and having issues so it'll
01:47 be interesting to see how they overcome some of the obvious technical issues that they've
01:51 got at the moment." "My response would be for the disabled people.
02:02 Those who can't walk to the shop and those who can't be bothered or asking other people
02:16 can you go to the co-op for me please? I'd like a nice chicken for something to lunch."
02:30 "Well I've seen them arguing with each other, facing each other on opposite sides of the
02:35 road, particularly at the top of Westfield Lane. I've seen them stop at zebra crossings
02:42 to cross and cars flash them and not knowing what to do. Pedestrians would have walked
02:48 across but of course robots have no idea. But the big thing that stands in my mind is
02:53 I don't see them having a lot of space inside to carry much in the way of goods but I suppose
02:59 if they're only prototypes it's whatever's coming next isn't it really."