An autonomous racking system for use with a mobile delivery vehicle includes an array of flow racks configured to receive thereon a plurality of containers each of which associated with a single customer and a plurality of pushers configured to push each one of the containers past a front end of the array. An elevator abuts the front end of the array to receive one or more containers from at least one of the array and a vehicle side access portal, and to deliver one or more containers to one or more of the plurality of flow racks from the portal. The elevator comprises a plurality of loading pushers configured to push a container off of the movable carriage and onto the array. A controller is operable communication with a plurality of pusher drives, an elevator drive motor, and one or more elevator position sensors.

A transport system has a transport vehicle comprising a load area having a load surface on which a plurality of rack units of the transport system can be arranged one behind the other in a vehicle longitudinal direction and can be either locked in position or displaced in the vehicle longitudinal direction, whereby an accessible intermediate space can be produced between two adjacent rack units. In order to enhance improve the effective usability of a load space of a commercial vehicle, the transport vehicle is configured such that the intermediate space can be accessed regardless of the position thereof from an access side arranged laterally in the vehicle transverse direction.

Method of operating a lid of a robotic vehicle. The lid is operable by a motor between an opened and a closed positions. When the lid is between the opened position and a first intermediary position, a first electric current having a first value is provided to the motor for exerting a first force on the lid. When the lid is between the first intermediary position and a second intermediary position, a second electric current, having a second value whose sign is opposite to a sign of the first value, is provided to the motor for exerting a second force on the lid. The second force is applied in an opposite direction of the first force. When the lid is between the second intermediary position and the closed position, a third electric current having a third value having a same sign than the first value is provided to the motor.

A computer-implemented robot pickup method including receiving a request from a user to pick up an article at a first location. A robot having a closeable transport container is navigated to the first location. The robot opens the closeable transport container and moves the article inside the closeable transport container at the first location, and navigates over an outdoor transportation network from the first location to the second location to deliver the article to the second location.

A first exemplary aspect is a delivery shelf includes: a housing; and a plurality of pairs of supports extended inside the housing in a depth direction thereof and arranged inside the housing at regular intervals in a height direction thereof. The delivery shelf is capable of housing all of returnable containers for delivery of a plurality of predefined sizes along the plurality of respective pairs of supports, and is installed in a house.

A vehicle includes a chassis, a cab coupled to the chassis, a cargo body coupled to the chassis and positioned rearward of the cab, a seating unit, and a mail tray. The cab includes a first floor portion defining a first interface at a first position within the cab. The cargo body includes a second floor portion defining a second interface at a second position within the cargo body. The seating unit includes a frame assembly that engages with the first interface and the second interface such that the seating unit is selectively repositionable between the first position and the second position. The mail tray is selectively positionable in the first position when the seating unit is in the second position.

A modular mobility base for a modular autonomous bot apparatus transporting an item being shipped including a mobile base platform, a component alignment interface, a mobility controller, a propulsion and steering system, and sensors. The component alignment interface provides an alignment channel into which another modular component can be placed and secured on the platform. The mobility controller generates propulsion control signals for controlling speed of the modular mobility base and steering control signals for navigation of the modular mobility base. The propulsion system is connected to the platform and responsive to the propulsion control signal. The steering system is connected to the mobile base platform and is responsive to the steering control signal to cause changes to directional movement of the modular mobility base. The sensors are disposed on the platform provide feedback sensor data to the mobility controller about a condition of the modular mobility base.

A vehicle includes a chassis and a vehicle body coupled to the chassis. The vehicle body includes a cab disposed on a forward end of the chassis and a cargo body disposed on a rear end of the chassis. The cab includes a front door that is slidably engaged to the cab. The cargo body includes a side door that is slidably engaged to the cargo body. The front door and the side door are disposed on the same side of the vehicle.

A detachable modular mobile autonomy module (MAM) for a modular autonomous bot apparatus includes a housing with latching points, an autonomous controller, location circuitry, external sensors monitoring an environment external to the MAM and providing sensor data to the controller, multi-element light panels on the housing driven by the controller; and a modular component power and data bus. The bus has a bottom side modular component electronics interface disposed on the housing that mates to a corresponding interface on another proximately-attached modular component of the bot. The MAM receives sensor data from the external sensors, receives outside sensor data from additional sensors disposed on a mobility unit of the bot, generates steering and propulsion control output signals based on location data from the location circuitry, external sensor data, mobility unit sensor data, and destination information data maintained by the controller, and generates transport and delivery information for the light panels.

System, delivery vehicle and delivery container, wherein the delivery container for accommodation by a delivery vehicle has a plurality of compartments, wherein the compartments are accessible from the outside and each compartment is designed to accommodate a plurality of packages. Furthermore, a plurality of closure elements are provided for closing the compartments and a connecting element is provided for connection to a delivery vehicle.