In URF's first webinar of 2024, we will explore "Social Acceptance of PMRs: Lessons in Leadership".  Learn how Starship Technologies is working, in collaboration with Leeds City Council, to bring their robot delivery service to residents.

Our panelists will include Lisa Johnson, VP Global Public Affairs with Starship Technologies and Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s Executive Member for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure. They will share the lessons learned and the leadership required to nurture social acceptance for innovative technologies that impact both residents and businesses.

At Starship, Lisa leads a team that works on regulation, a big part of which is engaging with communities and accessibility groups on how to build social acceptance of tech - and robots - in communities across the globe. Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, is revolutionising deliveries with autonomous robots that are designed to deliver food and groceries locally in minutes.

Councillor Hayden has been instrumental in supporting the introduction of new transport modes and technology to the city of Leeds that are part of a drive to decrease carbon emissions and improve well-being. Leeds is a city in the northern English county of Yorkshire with a population of approximately 800,000 people.

The first phase of the Starship/Leeds pilot project – delivering groceries for national retailer Co-op - started in November 2022 with 20,000 households having access to deliveries through Starship’s food delivery app. It was expanded to 12,000 more households as of July 2023. An independent survey of residents by Leeds City Council showed that 86% of local people were either positive or neutral about autonomous robot delivery locally. Starship’s own customer surveys show that nearly a quarter of all customers in Leeds either have or live with someone who has an accessibility need.

At the time of the expansion of service in July 2023, Councillor Hayden said: “Residents and families of Adel and Tinshill have welcomed Starship robots delivering their groceries, with over three-quarters of survey respondents in support of the introduction of the robots in the area. The expansion to Kippax and Swarcliffe will mean more people in Leeds can benefit from a zero-carbon alternative to grocery deliveries. As a council we’re pleased initiatives like this can help towards reducing the emissions of the last-mile delivery journey. It helps us to meet our pledge of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030 by aiming to reduce short journeys to the shop made by car."

Register today and join us to learn more from our guest speakers!