Amazon Kills 'Scout' Autonomous Home Delivery Robot Program

Photo: Amazon

Amazon is pulling the plug on live tests for its “Amazon Scout” (not to be confused with the new VW venture) automated home delivery robo-cart thing. Bloomberg confirmed the statement made in an email sent on Thursday. The U.S. retail giant says it realized the ill-fated “autonomous machine” just didn’t meet the needs of its customers.

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The outlet reports the Scout program initially started about three years ago in Seattle before expanding trials to Southern California, Georgia and Tennessee. But, that’s pretty much over at this point. A skeleton crew will reportedly continue to consider the idea of the autonomous robot, because that’s what we really need right now. Paying workers is just too much of an ask. Regardless, Scout is dead.

Alisa Carroll, an Amazon spokesperson said during the Scout’s limited field testing — the team was working to create a unique delivery experience. But as the program wasn’t meeting customers’s needs, the program needed to pivot.

The slow-moving devices, accompanied by human minders during tests, were designed to stop at a front door and pop open their lids so a customer could pick up a package. Amazon said the battery-powered robots were part of an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its delivery operations.

Sure sure sure. Greenhouse gas emissions. It certainly had nothing to do with not wanting to pay delivery workers.

Bloomberg reports that under Amazon’s new CEO, Andy Jassy, the company is slowing down just a bit by delaying some projects, or, like Scout, killing them altogether.

So, while Jeff is off with his penis-rocket, poor little Scout is getting put down like the terrible dog it always was. RIP Scout. We will not remember you.