FedEx Express has announced that Roxo, its SameDay Bot, will make its first appearance in Asia Pacific in Japan citing the country's positive regulatory framework, infrastructure, and environment apt for the testing and adoption of robotics.

FedEx said Roxo is an autonomous specialty delivery device, designed to travel on sidewalks and along roadsides, safely delivering smaller shipments to customers’ homes and businesses.

Its features include pedestrian-safe technology, multiple cameras and LiDAR allowing the zero-emission, battery-powered bot to be aware of its surroundings. The bot also features machine-learning algorithms to detect and avoid obstacles, plot a safe path, and allow it to follow road and safety rules — forits door-to-door delivery.

"Roxo is currently undergoing testing in the US to generate data to ‘train’ the self-driving software and validate safe performance, in compliance with all applicable safety regulations and guidelines," FedEx said.

"We are thrilled to have Roxo in Japan, a country that is a global leader in robotics implementation. The FedEx SameDay Bot is truly an innovation opening new possibilities for on-demand, same day, hyper-localized delivery," said Kawal Preet, president of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA) region at FedEx Express.

Asia Pacific expansion

"As we sit at the intersection of physical and digital networks, Roxo brings a glimpse of the future of logistics, where customers can enjoy same day, contactless delivery services at their doorsteps," she added, noting that businesses of all kinds embarking on digital transformation, could utilize the bot to advance delivery services in Japan and elsewhere in Asia Pacific.

The bot is being developed in collaboration with New Hampshire-based DEKA Development & Research Corp., a research and development company which also produced the humantransporter, Segway. 

FedEx said Roxo was unveiled in February 2019 and has been undergoing tests with major retailers in the US including Memphis, Tennessee; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Plano and Frisco, Texas.

It made its first international appearance in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in October 2019 for an experimental project with local businesses including Dubai Airports.