Cartken, an autonomous delivery droid manufacturer, has extended its partnership with international parcel delivery company DPD to roll out droid-based deliveries in 10 UK cities over the next 12 months.

Initially, the droids will be deployed with Raunds in Northamptonshire to deliver parcels from DPD's depot at Warth Park to residents in the area. DPD has already obtained permission from the North Northamptonshire Council for the launch in Raunds.

Today’s news follows the two companies’ successful trial in Milton Keynes, UK, in July 2022. However, they now plan to launch droids with an extended battery life of up to 12 hours and with three separate parcel compartments instead of the one used in the trial in Milton Keynes.

Analyst QuickTake: When it comes to droid-based deliveries in the UK, peer startup Starship Technologies already has well-established operations in the country, including Milton Keynes and several other cities in counties such as Northamptonshire ; thus, it would be a major competitor to Cartken if it is to expand operations in the UK.