The fully-electric Scout, which is the size of a small cooler and rolls along sidewalks at a walking pace, was first tested by Amazon in Washington state in 2019 before being taken to Southern California, Georgia, and Tennessee.

According to a corporate representative, Amazon.com Inc. will discontinue live testing of its automated delivery robot 'Amazon Scout' on Thursday after realising the programme did not entirely satisfy its customers' needs.

According to Amazon spokesperson Alisa Carroll, the company is now 'reorienting' or scaling back the programme and will work with the involved employees to match them to other open roles within the company. 

Before moving on to Southern California, Georgia, and Tennessee, Amazon began testing the fully-electric Scout in Washington state in 2019. The Scout is about the size of a small cooler and rolls along sidewalks at a walking pace.

Alisa Carroll, a representative for Amazon, announced that the Scout team would be disbanded and given new opportunities inside the company. According to the person, who asked to remain anonymous to discuss a private topic, there were about 400 employees working on the project globally. The idea of an autonomous robot will still be considered by a skeleton crew, but the existing design is ineffective.

Carroll added, 'We attempted to develop a distinctive delivery experience during our Scout limited field test, but we realised through feedback that there were some components of the programme that weren't meeting customers' demands.' We are discontinuing our field tests as a result and refocusing the initiative. Throughout this transition, we are working with employees to connect them with open positions that are the best fit for their expertise and skills.

The sluggish machines, which were tested with human monitors, were intended to stop at a front door and lift their lids to allow a consumer to pick up a delivery. In an effort to lower greenhouse gas emissions in its delivery operations, Amazon said the battery-powered robots.

Amazon used to have meet-and-greet events in the neighbourhoods where it was testing the gadgets just a few months ago. According to his LinkedIn profile, Sean Scott, the vice president who oversaw the development of the robot, left the company last year.

Amazon is adjusting to slower growth in its main retail business under CEO Andy Jassy, deferring certain initiatives and cancelling others. The business is known for funding bold experiments that may take years to succeed. Its portfolio includes cashierless retail locations, flying delivery drones, and a satellite constellation that aims to provide internet access to every country in the world.