His robots deliver parcels and food: Marko Bjelonic, CEO Rivr.ai, in the podcast
A robot-like dog delivers food and parcels in Zurich. Marko Bjelonic explains how he is revolutionizing logistics with Rivr.ai. He is co-founder and CEO of the Swiss robotics company, in which Jeff Bezos is also investing heavily.
Autonomous robots are no longer a dream of the future in Zurich. What sounds like science fiction is becoming visible in everyday life: in Oerlikon and Regensdorf, robotic helpers deliver food and parcels to your doorstep. In the podcast "AI and Society - Paths into the New World" by the Swiss Text Academy, Marko Bjelonic, co-founder of Rivr.ai and ETH graduate, talks about the opportunities, hurdles and visions of this technology.
Bjelonic explains how his team has already implemented specific projects with partners such as SwissPost and JustEat. Pilot trials also encounter regulatory issues, but in close coordination with the authorities, hurdles can often be overcome more quickly than in other countries.
Switzerland is therefore becoming an ideal testing ground for robotics in everyday life. The investment by Jeff Bezos marked a special milestone. With the trust of the Amazon founder, Rivr.ai not only gained capital, but also international attention. "We are part of the first wave of robots on the streets," says Bjelonic. "It's not just about technology, but about the benefits for society."
The question of jobs is also central to this. Robotics is not a job killer, emphasizes Bjelonic, but a stimulus for new occupational fields such as robot management. Delivery work is relieved by intelligent systems, while new opportunities are created at the same time.
Rivr.ai's vision for the future extends far beyond Zurich. The plan is for multimodal robots that can move in different environments, right up to international scaling. The start-up from ETH Zurich not only wants to change the logistics industry, but also help shape the global discourse on the social integration of robotics.
The video podcast "AI and Society - Paths into the New World" is produced by the Text Academy Foundation. Two episodes are released monthly, on Spotify ( https://open.spotify.com/show/4mSsEJuaShBuanBfBjoAeM?si=01b4363426db4d28) , Youtube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4InE9vz-QptAjyy0QXyk6lWFKXreWEh2&feature=shared and other podcast platforms.
Marko Bjelonic was also a guest at a Swiss Export symposium, about which we reported here have
