Small Oregon Town Welcomes Robotic Deliveries

The town of Philomath, Oregon, just outside of Corvallis, has approved a proposal by local tech firm Nova Dynamics to test a robot delivery system in the city. Brad Fuqua of the Philomath Express (via the Albany Democrat-Herald) reports that on October 9th, the City Council approved a proposal to allow the robot named 'Dax' to deliver packages around the city, with a requirement that local law enforcement be notified whenever Dax hits the street.

The agreement, approved with a unanimous council vote, allows the robot, which Nova Dynamics named "Dax," to operate on highways, shoulders, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, bicycle paths, roadways, narrow residential roadways and throughways within the city.

Testing of the robotic deliveries is expected to start in six to twelve months, after Nova Dynamics improves the robot's "human interaction and communication."