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A new hi-tech generation of robots will start delivering takeaways in a 'landmark' deal for the UK announced today.

Starship Technologies and Just Eat will be delivering hot food in Sunderland, one of the UK's most tech-savvy cities. It is also the home of Just Eat’s operations in the North East. Customers can select Starship deliveries through the Just Eat app, where costs vary by distance but typically range from 50 pence to £3.

It comes weeks after the Mirror told of the introduction of the first driverless taxis in the UK. Robot delivery will grow according to demand ,but the hi-tech service will soon expand to other locations across the country.

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Hundreds of Starship robots are already delivering for shops across the UK, part of the world ’s largest robot fleet. Starship is the global leader in autonomous delivery, with more than 2,700 robots in 270 locations across eight countries.

Its grocery delivery service is in Leeds, Wakefield, Greater Manchester, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. Patrick Melia, Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council said: “Sunderland is already one of the UK’s most tech-forward and smart cities. It’s great to have a major local employer like Just Eat involved in this latest innovation.

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"We're sure these robots will bring extra convenience for residents, especially people who are less mobile or unable to leave home. We look forward to seeing them supporting residents across Sunderland.”

The robots used for shopping deliveries across the UK have proven popular with the elderly, the disabled, and children. They can play 'Happy Birthday' and even rock music.

Starship is the brainchild of Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who also co-founded Skype, before it was sold for $2.6bn (£1.9bn) in 2005. They have overcome many pitfalls during development, including theft, adverse weather, flooding, snow and vandalism to make millions of deliveries around the world.

They are powered by electric batteries, and rely on Artificial Intelligence and onboard cameras to move around. Ahti believes the UK will now be at the forefront of the new hi-tech AI drive announced by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

A report by Prysm Global last year found that expanding the use of Personal Delivery Devices (PDDs) in the UK could generate £1.3bn for the economy by 2035. The report found that Starship making its robots in the UK could create 555 new high-skilled jobs and boost grocery spending by £125m over the same period.

A very loud anti-theft alarm is fitted, and they can even march through deep snow in Finland. A robot can drive all day without needing a charge, but it fully recharges in two hours.

Mert Öztekin, Chief Technology Officer at Just Eat, said it had teamed up with a "diverse range of local independent restaurants" to trial the Starship robots. Ahti Heinla, Founder and Chief Executive at Starship Technologies, added: "Our robots are trained to think for themselves and learn their way around the local area with ease.

"The economics of robot delivery only work when the robots are truly smart: robots learn with every journey, and Starship robots have completed millions of journeys."