JD.com launches robot deliveries in Beijing's Haidian district

China's e-commerce giant JD.com has launched robot deliveries in Beijing's Haidian district, reports zjol.com.cn.

A JD.com courier robot on a road in Haidian District, Beijing, June 18, 2018. [Photo: zjol.com.cn]

Various automatic delivery vehicles were formally put into service on June 18, 2018 after a trial run. The largest vehicle is able to carry 30 parcels at once.

Pedestrians take photos of a JD.com automatic delivery vehicle as it crosses a road in Haidian District, Beijing, June 18, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

The driverless vehicles operate at a top speed of 15 kilometers per hour. JD.com says their vehicles are able to avoid any barriers on the road, and also adhere to the traffic lights.

A JD.com automatic delivery vehicle waits at a red light alongside a bus in Haidian district, Beijing, during a trial run in this undated photo. [Photo: Xinhua]

Customers will receive an instant message to pick up their delivery. Customers can choose to accept their packages by either facial recognition, passwords or via JD.com's mobile app.

A customer picks up her package from a JD.com automatic delivery vehicle in Haidian District, Beijing, June 18, 2018. [Photo: zjol.com.cn]

JD.com piloted robot deliveries at Renmin University of China in Beijing a year ago. The company is planning to launch its autonomous delivery vehicles in dozens of Chinese cities in the near future.