Please Mr. Robo-Postman: These New Droids Can Deliver Your Mail

Another day, another android gunning for your job.  On top of bartenders, hotel staff, fast-food workers, industrial laborers, writers, artists, and pizza deliverymen, now the robots are bringing the freshest electronic edge to mail delivery since you first signed up for an email inbox...

It's even better-dressed than most humans.
We're doomed.
(Image courtesy gizmag.com.)

According to the Daily Mail, a new robot in development at Stanford University could soon be pressed in duty for mail deliveries.  Known as "Jackrabbot", the autonomously-guided delivery cart uses a specialized algorithm that allows it to operate in public places without crashing into pedestrians.

Designed to be a friendly-looking little 'bot that maxes out at 5 m.p.h., the Jackrabbot's programming is based off of unspoken human pedestrian rules governing where, how, and when people stride or stroll.

"Don't mind me, humans, I'm just out for a spin.
The fact that I've been making laps between the dorms and weed dispensaries all day
shouldn't concern you."
(Image courtesy veda.stoplusjedicka.cz)

Silvio Savarese, a member of the Jackrabbot development team, explained:

"We're envisioning a new generation of robots which can operate alongside humans.  In order to do so, social robots have to understand human conventions and human etiquette. We actually don't have those rules written down.  Our goal in this project is to actually learn those rules automatically from observations, by observing how humans behave in these social spaces. The idea is to transfer those rules into robots."

Um, if we're teaching robots about human behavior, yeah...
let's DEFINITELY focus on that "etiquette" part.
(Image courtesy gamesradar.com.)

The Jackrabbot is capable of carrying small payloads of posted mail, packages, or even food, all while making serious efforts to remain submissive to humans in its proximity.  Whether it has means to fight back against suspicious dogs on its route remains to be seen.

Jackrabbot is currently a prototype, but if it marketed successfully could be rolling around your neighborhood for around $500.  If "neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays the {human} couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds...", will Jackrabbot be able to outdo them?  Or is this just another tech toy to tool around town?  Only the future will find us the answers...

Is it wrong that this is so weirdly adorable?
Maybe.  But moreover, will the mail be on time and undamaged?
(Image courtesy cvgl.stanford.edu.)