The autonomous delivery robot, Neubie, was born to revolutionize last-mile delivery services.

People were fascinated by Neubie’s cute appearance and smart delivery skills, but they often had many questions whenever they encounter it.

"What if someone prevents the robot from moving?"

"What if wild animals attack and damage it?"

"What if it crosses the crosswalk during a red light? How does it know when it's safe to cross?"

We’ve compiled all the questions and comments from people curious about Neubie and addressed them with clear answers.

Question 1

Q. Why did Neubility decide to develop a delivery robot?

Question 2

Q. Isn’t Korea’s road environment different from other countries?

     Can Neubie navigate safely through complex streets filled with obstacles?

That’s correct. Last-mile delivery, which Neubie targets, involves numerous moving obstacles such as pedestrians, pets, and bicycles. Additionally, Neubie must understand and navigate various types of road environments, including pedestrian walkways, crosswalks, and narrow alleyways.

To address these challenges, Neubie is equipped with technology optimized for urban autonomous driving. For instance, GPS alone is insufficient to determine precise positioning in areas with tall buildings. Therefore, camera-based V-SLAM sensors are used to identify its location, map its surroundings, and navigate effectively.

Neubie also employs AI-based object recognition technology and radar & stereo cameras for obstacle detection and avoidance, enabling it to maneuver safely around obstacles. These capabilities have been validated through extensive experiments and media testing.

Question 3

Q. What happens if the road is temporarily damaged or there are no curbs?

Neubie features a rugged 4-wheel drive system and can rotate 360 degrees, enabling it to handle slopes and curbs effortlessly. However, there are occasional situations where curbs are constructed too high or blocked by parked vehicles. In such cases, if the original route becomes impassable, Neubie will intelligently reroute to find an alternative path that allows it to continue its journey smoothly.

Question 4

Q. What if someone tries to take the delivery from Neubie?

Neubie’s compartment only opens when the recipient scans their unique QR code, so there’s no need to worry!

Question 5

Q. What happens if someone intentionally interferes with the robot?

A competing company in the U.S. has deployed delivery robots on campuses, and there haven’t been any reported cases of people intentionally interfering with or damaging the robots. On the contrary, there are heartwarming stories of passersby helping upright fallen robots.

Neubie, however, distinguishes itself from competitors by leveraging cameras and sensors to implement an advanced autonomous driving solution while maintaining cost efficiency. In fact, each Neubie is equipped with more than 10 cameras, making it highly secure and difficult to tamper with—it's like having 10 eyes watching over it!

Additionally, every Neubie is equipped with an LTE antenna for communication. To prepare for the resolution of regulatory challenges, a central control tower system is being developed to monitor and operate all Neubies. Through this system, any issues arising during operation can be promptly addressed, ensuring smooth and safe delivery.

Question 6

Q. What if someone steals Neubie or if the robot gets damaged in an accident?

Before starting its trial operation, Neubie was covered by a specialized robot insurance policy created by an insurance company. The policy covers damages caused by the robot and damages to the robot itself, ensuring that any necessary compensation will be handled smoothly!

Question 7

Q. Can Neubie use elevators?

Currently, Neubie cannot use elevators. Users will need to pick up their items on the first floor of the building. While this may be less convenient than having a person deliver to the door, we believe that consumers will choose delivery robots for the ability to receive a wide range of products at a lower price. We are also working on developing the technology to integrate with elevators. Perfect autonomous driving using complex urban sidewalks has yet to be achieved by anyone, but Neubie is doing it. The team at Neubility will soon solve the elevator integration challenge as well.

Question 8

Q. How does Neubie charge? How far can it travel on a single charge?

Currently, Neubie can operate for about 8 hours on a single charge. It is designed to travel up to 25 km to ensure stability. The system is designed so that it can be used for an entire day on a single charge.

In the future, we plan to gather data through multiple test runs and make improvements to optimize the charging and travel efficiency.

Question 9

Q. There were concerns about whether the robot's speed is suitable for food delivery!

Technically, it can travel at high speeds, but because Neubie shares the sidewalk with pedestrians, we have limited its speed to 7.2 km/h. This is also why Neubie is not focused on long-distance deliveries. Instead, we aim to connect all stores and consumers with affordable prices within areas that can be delivered in 20 minutes.

When it comes to urban delivery robots, many people immediately think of food and beverage delivery, but Neubie plans to expand into a wide range of items such as cosmetics, daily necessities, and documents, revolutionizing lifestyles with convenient delivery!

Question 10

Q. Is it possible to deliver multiple orders at the same time?

Neubie is unable to deliver multiple orders simultaneously. To do so, it would need separate compartments for each customer to retrieve only their own ordered items. While this is not possible at the moment, it is certainly a feature that can be developed if it proves to be a valuable revenue opportunity.

In addition to its B2C business connecting urban stores and customers, Neubility is also expanding its B2B business, offering robots tailored to the needs of individual companies. This means that Neubie’s improvements and potential are limitless! We look forward to its continued development.