SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) — Korea Seven Co., the operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, said Sunday it plans to carry out another test run for robot delivery services in collaboration with a startup.

Under the plan, Korea Seven will offer delivery services with self-driving robots developed by Neubility in select areas in southern Seoul through October in its third round of tests.

The project is in line with the state-run Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement’s efforts to develop customized service robots.

In 2021, Korea Seven initiated the first pilot run of the robotic delivery service using the Neubie robot, which was followed by a second round of testing the following year.

Depending on the area, the delivery cost will be set at 1,000 won (US$0.78), with some locations asking for 3,000 won with a minimum order of 10,000 won.

With the aid of its self-driving system and advanced sensors, Neubie robots can navigate through urban environments, effectively avoiding obstacles. The robots are also designed to deliver goods even in adverse weather conditions, such as rain and snow.

Korea Seven also tested a drone delivery service in July 2022.

“After the COVID-19 pandemic, the short-distance delivery service by convenience stores has become more important, raising hopes for the robot delivery service,” a Korea Seven official said.

* Link to original news article : https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20230618001000320