Hyundai and Kia unveiled a cutting-edge autonomous delivery robot, ‘DAL-e Delivery’, on YouTube on April 3, marking a significant advancement in delivery technology. Standing at the height of an adult’s waist and capable of carrying coffee, DAL-e Delivery is designed to navigate office environments with precision and ease.
DAL-e’s delivery process is divided into four stages. First, it arrives at the office and briefly pauses. Then, it uses its lens to scan the faces of the people in front of it to recognize them. Once it identifies the face of the person who ordered the coffee, the robot moves forward, opens its torso door, and presents the shelf with the coffee.
The strength of DAL-e is its ability to move freely and stably, just like a human. This is possible due to Hyundai’s self-developed Plug and Drive (PnD) module, which stabilizes the robot and helps it quickly avoid obstacles in crowded spaces. The PnD module also interfaces with systems controlling building elevators and doors, enabling DAL-e to deliver across different floors via elevators. It can achieve a maximum speed of 4.32 km/h, which is the average walking speed of an adult.
Hyundai Kia has developed a specific artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition technology into the DAL-e Delivery robot that is being used to reduce the chances of delivery errors. This technology has been officially certified by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) for its 99.9% accuracy.
According to a Hyundai official, it is unusual for such technology to be developed and applied in-house in Korea. The robot’s head is equipped with an 11.6-inch high-resolution display that shows various expressions to create a friendly environment for users, depending on the situation.
DAL-e is an improved version of the delivery robot for hotels, which Hyundai and Kia unveiled in Dec. 2022.
‘The new version has reduced dimensions, which makes it easier to navigate through narrow passages and onto elevators. Additionally, the internal shelf of the robot has been redesigned from circular to rectangular, creating more space for carrying items.
The previous version could carry a maximum of 8 cups of coffee, but the new version can carry up to 16 cups, which is significantly more than the typical 6-7 cups that other delivery robots can carry. Hyundai and Kia plan to launch the DAL-e Delivery in the office building ‘Factorial Seongsu’ in Seoul during the second quarter of this year, which spans from April to June.
