Chinese delivery firms are developing new ways to streamline autonomous deliveries, from detachable cargo boxes that free vehicles for their next assignments to robots designed to bring parcels directly to customers’ doors.

Beijing-based Ethan Global is testing detachable cargo boxes in residential communities in Baoding, Hebei Province. Once a vehicle arrives, the box can be lifted off its chassis, allowing the vehicle to resume other tasks without waiting for customers to collect their goods.

Each box has about 70 independently temperature-controlled compartments, potentially accommodating everything from hot meals to fresh groceries. Customers could also order goods in advance for collection the following day, with the system offering new options for community services, including meal delivery for older people.

Meanwhile, Neolix has proposed a robotic system for the final leg of delivery. A driverless vehicle would transport goods to a nearby pickup point, where a robotic arm transfers them to a smaller autonomous robot for doorstep delivery.

Neolix already operates more than 30,000 driverless delivery vehicles across over 300 Chinese cities and overseas markets. Its self-unloading vans could further improve efficiency, particularly for overnight deliveries amid labour shortages in the logistics sector.