Parcel transport in short distances until the final recipient, the so-called last mile delivery, currently causes 20% of the traffic and 40% of the emissions derived from traffic in Barcelona.

In this context, the BotNet project, co-funded by the Barcelona City Council and Fundació ‘La Caixa’ and led by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), seeks to study a last-mile parcel delivery model using autonomous robots in high-density population areas, such as superblocks in Barcelona.

BotNet is currently in its final phase, where tests are being conducted to evaluate the robot’s ability to navigate and deliver packages autonomously in dense populations. These tests are being carried out with a security operator present. During this week, researchers from the Institute of Robotics and Industrial Informatics (IRI) of the UPC – BarcelonaTech, together with CARNET and Vaivé Logistics, are testing the Ona robot in the surroundings of the Born Culture and Memory Center (CC Born).

“The development of this robot began in 2017, but the BotNet project is the one that brings the technology to the neighborhood,” explains principal investigator Àngel Santamaria, from IRI. “This technology is complex and now it has reached a point where we can place it in a real place where this robot actually would operate. So, robots like the Wave, which are electric, which don’t pollute as much, which don’t make noise and which have a friendly treatment with the

El transport de paqueteria a distàncies curtes fins al destinatari final, l’anomenat repartiment d’última milla, provoca actualment el 20% del trànsit i el 40% de les emissions derivades de la circulació a Barcelona.

En aquest context, el projecte BotNet, cofinançat per l’Ajuntament de Barcelona i la Fundació ‘La Caixa’ i liderat per la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), busca estudiar un model de repartiment de paqueteria d’última milla mitjançant robots autònoms en zones d’alta densitat poblacional, com les superilles de Barcelona.

Actualment, el projecte es troba en la seva fase final, on es realitzen proves per avaluar la capacitat del robot per navegar i repartir paquets de manera autònoma en poblacions denses, i les proves es duen a terme amb un operador de seguretat present. Durant aquesta setmana, investigadors de l’Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (IRI) de la UPC – BarcelonaTech, juntament amb CARNET i Vaivé Logistics, assagen el robot Ona pels voltants del Centre Cultural i de memòria del Born (CCBorn).

“El desenvolupament d’aquest robot començà el 2017, però el projecte BotNet és el que porta la tecnologia al barri”, explica l’investigador principal Àngel Santamaria, de l’IRI. “Aquesta tecnologia és complexa i ara ha arribat a un punt en què la podem posar en un lloc real on operaria aquest robot. Then, robots like Ona, which are electric, do not pollute as much, do not make noise and are people-friendly, could be delivering parcels, avoiding the presence of vans and trucks in pedestrian areas,” he concluded.

As for the uses of robots such as Ona, several are being considered. From the transportation of goods from the market to neighborhood establishments, to the delivery of food with temperature control, or the delivery of factory parts in industrial parks. With the added advantage of full time availability, to carry out night-time deliveries and at times when there are fewer people on the street.

Interaction with people and social acceptance as an essential factor for integrating robots in the city

The main obstacles that the robot may encounter include architectural barriers (such as sidewalks without ramps) and, above all, interaction with people, who often approach and may block the robot during testing. The presence of the robot generates curiosity among the population, which can be both a challenge and an opportunity to educate the community about robot operation and safety.

Therefore, an important part of the study is to analyze the acceptance of the technology by the population, to determine if there is reluctance or if the community would accept a delivery model with robots, as well as to learn about people’s experience. It will also allow, through surveys and observation, to be able to improve the prototype so that the population has a better understanding of what to expect from these robots and, thus, facilitate their social acceptance.

About the BotNet project

This project, led by researchers from IRI (UPC-CSIC), is conducted in collaboration with the R+i hub in urban mobility CARNET and the company VAIVE Logistics (a UPC spin-off). The initiative has a grant of more than 145,000 euros from the Barcelona City Council and Fundació ‘La Caixa’ in the framework of a call for grants for projects that provide innovative solutions to urban challenges on community health and sustainability and climate change.

The Ona robot test is part of the Barcelona City Council’s strategy to be an urban laboratory where companies, entities and organizations can experiment in real conditions their innovative products and services of interest to the city and with a positive social impact.

The initiative is aligned with the Strategic Plan for Science and Innovation 2024-2027, which incorporates knowledge transfer as the driving force of the city’s economy, with the commitment and objective that all scientific and technological capacity is translated into tangible improvements for social welfare, sustainability and the ecological transition of Barcelona.