Young children take quickly to Starship’s dinky grocery delivery robots. Kids have been spotted waving at the cute six-wheeled bots in towns where they’ve been rolled out, as well as trying to feed them (grown-ups, on the other hand, have kicked the machines and torn off their flags).
It’s a fanship understandably encouraged by the robotics business, which provides downloadable colouring-in sheets, instructions on how to make a bot from cardboard at home, and goes on school visits.
While their true value in last-mile grocery logistics is still being determined, they have already proven family-friendly mascots for innovation.
About time then, that a series of children’s books was written about them. The Shoppa Squad (Austin Macauley, £9.99) by William Deegan introduces a merry band of robots – Amber, Freya, Lilah, Finley and Billy – who use teamwork, resilience and their individual strengths to ensure their deliveries arrive safe and sound.
Each book contains three stories – a pleasant surprise for both reader and audience – in mostly rhyming couplets, each vividly illustrated with colourful cartoons. Even if they have never encountered Starship before, kids immediately understand the concept, and become eager to find out how each delivery mission unfolds.
It would be great to see some description of how the robots work and navigate – perhaps to be seen in the second and third books planned for next year
It seems a missed opportunity for Starship, which could officially endorse the books and turn them into an animated series and range of toys. It still might. Regardless, the robot squad still manage to deliver a lot of fun.
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