Swiss Post and Migros Test Parcel Delivery With Delivery Robots From RIVR

(CONNECT) Swiss Post is subjecting the RIVR delivery robot to a practical test in Regensdorf until mid-September 2025. The aim is to find out how delivery staff can be relieved of the burden of transporting large and heavy parcels and boxes, such as food deliveries, from the delivery van to the front door. Swiss Post has organized this field test with RIVR and Migros Online.

"This initiative gives us the opportunity to understand how autonomous delivery systems can support our employees and processes," said Pascal Stalder, project manager at Swiss Post, in a statement from RIVR. "We are particularly interested in the potential to reduce walking distances and heavy lifting - while offering the quality of service that our customers expect."

The delivery robot from RIVR, a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, runs on four wheeled legs and resembles a dog in stature. It can drive autonomously to its destination, climb stairs and carry loads of up to 60 kilograms.

"The collaboration with Swiss Post and Migros Online shows what is possible when innovation is based on operational reality," says Marko Bjelonic, CEO and co-founder of RIVR. "It's not about replacing human delivery, but about strengthening the system as a whole."

According to the report, it would be conceivable for Swiss Post to have postmen and women traveling side by side with such a robot on individual delivery rounds with heavy consignments. However, it is not yet clear if and when the robot will actually be used. ce/mm