Yandex rovers will be thrown into the tundra: robotic delivery tests will be held in snowy Novy Urengoy

This coming winter, Yandex will test robo-couriers in Novy Urengoy – the city’s climate will help the company test the vehicles’ maneuverability in the snow. Previously, Yandex tested the delivery of orders by rovers to hotels in Krasnaya Polyana, but the full deployment of the service should be expected in cities with a population of over a million, experts are sure.

Image source: yandex.ru/blog

Yandex engineers made technological improvements to delivery robots, increasing the quality of their work in winter conditions, and the company decided to test the innovations in Novy Urengoy, Kommersant writes, citing a statement from its representatives. The city was chosen based on climatic conditions according to Yandex Weather information: the number of snow days per year, snow depth, time of snow cover formation and other aspects were taken into account. It is noted that the test program does not include delivery of orders.

The company aims to at least halve the number of incidents in which delivery robots get stuck in the snow, as well as reduce the number of times the vehicle requires operator assistance. Yandex did not provide the exact number of such incidents, but reported that “we are talking about irregular cases.” Engineers will work on software solutions, including a slip detection algorithm, as well as different rubber options and tread patterns on tires. Based on the results of a series of tests at the end of winter, the company will make the necessary decisions.

Now Yandex rovers are used to deliver purchases from Pyaterochka, Perekrestok, Azbuka Vkusa, Shokoladnitsa and other stores and establishments; they work in some Moscow districts, in Murino (Leningrad region) and Innopolis (Tatarstan). In Kazan, a Yandex delivery robot is rented by the Kamastroyinvest company – it delivers orders in a residential complex. From June 2023 to the summer of 2024, Yandex tested delivery scenarios to hotels in Krasnaya Polyana. In winter, the delivery time of orders by robots increases by 5–7 minutes on average, the company said.

If the standard delivery time is 30 minutes, then a 10-minute deviation is considered acceptable, say experts interviewed by Kommersant. And the full deployment of robocourier services should be expected in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities with a population of over a million. Yandex is ready to open mass production of delivery rovers: currently 130 units have already been put into operation, and the same number are in assembly. “The assembly cycle is designed for their launch in the third or fourth quarter of the year,” the company said.