FedEx partners with Walmart, Pizza Hut to test last-mile delivery robot

FedEx this summer plans to begin testing a robot to handle home deliveries for partners ranging from Walmart to Pizza Hut. Shippers, retailers and restaurants are experimenting with robots, drones and self-driving cars in a bid to use automation to drive down the high cost of delivering gadgets, groceries and even cups of coffee the last mile to consumer doorsteps.
FedEx is teaming up with DEKA Development & Research, whose founder Dean Kamen invented the Segway stand-up scooter and iBot stair-climbing wheelchair, for its project. The delivery company said the robots could become part of its SameDay service that operates in 1,900 cities around the world. The battery-powered robots look like coolers on wheels.