URBANE Helsinki lighthouse living lab tested innovative last-mile service for the residents in Helsinki. A sympathetic robot called HeRo (Helsinki Robot) was running B2C e-commerce parcel deliveries around densely populated districts of Ruoholahti and Jätkäsaari during the late autumn 2023 and the summer 2024.
Decarbonizing urban logistics is a wide challenge and requires a variety of innovative solutions. In Helsinki, a consolidation microhub implemented inside the shopping centre of Ruoholahti connected Schenker, DHL Express, A2B and LMAD. The collaboration was based on trust which was fostered using technological solutions like integrations, blockchain and smart contracts. The microhub acted as a homebase for two ADVs, HeRo (Helsinki Robot) and NeRo (No-Emission Robot), two cargo bikes from Schenker and A2B, and a manned service point from DHL Express. The objective was to reduce kilometers driven with combustion engine vans inside the city area, reduce the CO2 emissions, and increase the quality of the service for the residents. The robots were collecting point-cloud data of their operations which was used to create a heatmap. All collected data will act as a basis for further discussions with the decision-makers in Helsinki to aid the decarbonization goals of urban logistics in Helsinki.
The most important learning was that designing the last-mile service by placing the end-user at the core of the service, will ensure financial sustainability in the long term and increase the favorable adoption of novel services. In addition, designing the robot in a sympathetic manner will mitigate the risk of negative attitude towards the ADV running in pedestrian pathways. Residential surveys showed that people reacted positively towards the ADV because it looked friendly and approachable.
The biggest challenges encountered were finding the suitable location for the operations, increasing the volume by educating the potential customers, and designing the use case as user-centred as possible. To make the solution financially feasible, the location of the microhub must be optimal for ADVs, have a very high demand volume for all of the logistics service providers taking their operations into the microhub, and find a neutral operator connecting the stakeholders. By interviewing the residents and businesses around the microhub, the service can be designed to meet their needs and educating them to use the service. This will ensure that the demand volume will be converted into the actual volume of the innovative service. Wider the usage, bigger the impact.
For further details about Helsinki and the work carried out within URBANE, click here.