Swedish telecoms operator Tele2 and Delivery Hero's foodora have joined forces on a pilot scheme for self-driving home deliveries by robot in Stockholm.

Demand for contactless deliveries around the world has shot up as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating trials of autonomous robots to replace human couriers.

Aside from its mainstay of restaurant take-away food, foodora also now delivers books, technology and beauty products.

Stockholm's new droid, known as Doora, has a camera that sends information in real time via Tele2's 5G network to foodora, which can then track and send data to and from it.

Doora would do its first test deliveries around the Stureplan square in central Stockholm on Friday, carrying up to 20 kilogrammes of goods, Tele2 said in a statement.

"The Doora droid can perceive its surroundings, communicate, and thus create a situation-adapted service - self-driving home deliveries," Tele2 added.

Robotics firm Nuro received a permit in December for its self-driving vehicles in California.

  - Reuters