Amazon.com Inc is shutting down tests of its home delivery robot, the latest sign that the e-commerce giant is starting to wind down experimental projects amid slowing sales growth.
Work on Scout, an autonomous machine launched about three years ago, has already been halted, according to a person familiar with the situation.
“During our Scout limited field test, we worked to create a unique delivery experience, but learned through feedback that there were aspects of the program that weren’t meeting customers’ needs,” Carroll said. The Seattle-based company began testing the cooler-sized bots on suburban sidewalks outside Seattle in 2019, before expanding the trials to Southern California, Georgia and Tennessee.
Only a few month ago, Amazon was still holding meet-and-greets in communities where it was testing the devices. Sean Scott, the vice president who oversaw the robot’s development, left the company last year, according to his LinkedIn profile.