See more objects with the tag , storage, transport, mobility, automation, autonomous.

Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2015

  • Work on this object began.

2018

2025

  • You found it!

Starship Delivery Robot

This is a Starship Delivery Robot. It was designed by Starship Technologies. It is dated 2015. It is a part of the department.

The electrically powered Starship autonomous delivery robot offers a new way to deliver local goods. In 2013, Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis designed a soil sample retrieval robot as part of a NASA contest. Afterward, they looked for a way to apply their concept to a last mile delivery vehicle. The resulting robot delivers goods to customers within a two-mile radius, traveling on sidewalks at a pedestrian pace to ensure safety and alleviate curb congestion. Nine cameras and sensors help the robot navigate obstacles in real time, and a lock secures the robot’s contents until delivery.

It is credited Courtesy of Starship Technologies.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Road Ahead: Reimagining Mobility.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

For higher resolution or commercial use contact ArtResource.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318795901/ |title=Starship Delivery Robot |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=10 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>