SINGAPORE: JTC Corporation has introduced a food delivery robot at its Woodlands Northshore Industrial Estate as part of a one-month trial to offer tenants greater convenience and evaluate the technology for future use.
The trial, which saw the robot successfully complete around 50 orders, is a significant step in JTC’s plans to explore robotic applications in other locations, such as the upcoming Punggol Digital Park.
The innovative system allows employees at the industrial estate to order food through a mobile app, triggering the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Once the order is ready, the robot autonomously navigates through the building, taking elevators on its own to deliver meals to the door of each tenant’s unit. From placing the order to delivery, the process takes less than 15 minutes.
JTC is focused on integrating robotic technologies within its properties and is testing whether this concept can be operational at scale, whether other operators have their own bots to plug and play with their interface, and whether the bots can access elevators and doors seamlessly.
Security is a key consideration in the trial, especially given the robot’s use of shared facilities like elevators, and the team is working to ensure that the robot delivers the correct order to the right person safely.
Future iterations with larger carrying capacities could further enhance convenience, reducing the need for multiple orders and deliveries, as a bigger robot would mean fewer trips and a more streamlined process for customers.
The successful trial could lead to broader adoption of similar technologies, with potential applications in food delivery and across other sectors that rely on automated services.