Mesh Korea to test autonomous robot deliveries in Incheon buildings

Mesh Korea’s delivery robot is stationed inside Incheon Startup Park in Yeonsu District, Incheon. [MESH KOREA]

Mesh Korea, a start-up operating the Vroong delivery service, will test autonomous robot deliveries in buildings in Incheon.

Vroong’s employees will deliver packages to Incheon Startup Park, a building in Yeonsu District, Incheon, where the company will test the service. They will load delivery robots with the packages at a station next to the entrance of the building, and the robots will navigate the company building on their own to deliver the items.

The service will be offered until April next year. Mesh Korea will test its robots at three more buildings in Songdo, Incheon, within the time frame.

“Our robot delivery service is one of the innovative logistics projects that we have been working on for the past 10 years,” said Choi Byung-joon, head of Mesh Korea’s domestic business division. “Starting with Incheon Startup Park, we plan to offer the service at big apartment complexes and other buildings.”

Mesh Korea says Incheon Startup Park is an ideal test site because there will be various restaurant deliveries from over 80 companies that use the building, allowing it to effectively test the service and see if it can be applied to other locations in the future. The start-up mostly carries out food deliveries from restaurants and quick commerce orders, which refers to deliveries directly sent from nearby discount marts or convenience stores to the customer’s home within an hour.

Various companies are rushing to develop robot delivery services as well. Woowa Brothers, which operates restaurant delivery application Baedal Minjok, and LG Electronics have been testing robot deliveries since June at COEX in southern Seoul. The companies’ robots deliver food ordered from the mall to offices in the nearby Korea International Trade Association building through an underground passageway.

Although companies are jumping into the new market, autonomous delivery robots are heavily regulated and aren’t allowed on outdoor sidewalks. Only robots approved by the government’s regulatory sandbox program can navigate the streets.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]