PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Delivery robots’ green credentials make them more attractive to consumers

2024-08-13
(Press-News.org) PULLMAN, Wash. – The smaller carbon footprint, or wheel print, of automatic delivery robots can encourage consumers to use them when ordering food, according to a Washington State University study.

The suitcase-sized, self-driving electric vehicles are much greener than many traditional food delivery methods because they have low, or even zero, carbon emissions. In this study, participants who had more environmental awareness and knowledge about carbon emissions were more likely to choose the robots as a delivery method. The green influence went away though when people perceived the robots as a high-risk choice—meaning they worried that their food would be late, cold or otherwise spoiled before it arrived.

The findings, reported in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, indicate a way to promote the use of delivery robots.

“Much of the marketing focus has been on the functionality and the convenience of these automatic delivery robots, which is really important, but it would enhance these efforts to promote their green aspects as well,” said lead author Jennifer Han, a doctoral student in WSU’s Carson College of Business.

Working with WSU researchers Hyun Jeong Kim and Soobin Seo, Han conducted an online survey with 418 adult participants recruited through MTurk, Amazon’s crowdsourcing platform. More than half were from urban areas, and many were already familiar with delivery robots, which are gaining in popularity in big cities. The participants watched short videos about automatic delivery robots and answered questions about carbon emissions as well as the robots themselves.

The researchers found a strong correlation between high ranked statements related to carbon emissions and the willingness to use the automatic delivery robots or ADRs. That connection broke, however, among people who thought using the technology was risky.

“When people had a higher perceived risk about using the ADRs, they didn’t really care about the environmental concerns, but people who had less perceived risk were more strongly attached to this decision mechanism,” said Han. “So, it was pretty clear that all these essential functional features have to work. Then the environmental issues come after that.”

The pandemic pushed an increase in online food ordering by 63%, according to Statista, which has in turn resulted in increased congestion and carbon emissions as more gas-powered vehicles hit the road to deliver the food. Many automatic delivery robots, which can travel on sidewalks and roads, are electric, and some rely on renewable energy sources like solar power. Other research has estimated that ADR-use can reduce congestion by 29% and carbon emissions by 16%.

More food service businesses are turning to automatic delivery robots to do so-called “last mile” delivery. Some companies like Dominos already have their own delivery fleets, but smaller restaurants are using them as well through services such as Grubhub and Starship Technologies.

ADRs may appeal to businesses simply because they help meet the growing demand for delivery services, but as this study indicates, their ability to curb carbon emissions may also prove a powerful motivator for consumers.

Han suggested that companies could highlight the delivery robots’ green credentials by displaying a calculation of the emissions of each delivery method.

“They could show consumers that they are reducing this much of carbon footprint through the delivery robot service. That would be one cue to promote those purchasing behaviors, if consumers have a big interest in environmental issues,” she said.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mayo Clinic offers new innovative therapy to treat atrial fibrillation

2024-08-13
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Cardiologists in Mayo Clinic's Heart Rhythm Clinic are using a new innovative energy source to safely and successfully treat a common type of heart arrhythmia. The therapy, called pulsed field ablation (PFA), has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and represents a significant milestone in treating atrial fibrillation (AFib). The irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm of AFib can lead to blood clots in the heart, increasing a patient's risk of stroke. Clinicians can use medication and therapies to help reset the heart rhythm, but some patients have AFib that ...

Changing food consumers' choices may help cut greenhouse gases

2024-08-13
Planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions associated with the global food supply chains induced by diets could fall by 17% if people change their food choices towards more plant-based diets, a new study reveals.   Researchers believe that a currently over-consuming 56.9% of the global population would save 32.4% of global dietary emissions by changing their diet to the planetary health diet proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission.  Publishing their findings today (13 Aug) in Nature Climate Change, an international group of researchers note that a diet switch to the planetary health diet would balance the ...

Significant link found between heme iron, found in red meat and other animal products, and type 2 diabetes risk

2024-08-13
Key points: Researchers identified a significant link between heme iron—iron found in red meat and other animal products —and risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), as well as the metabolic pathways underlying the link. Non-heme iron—iron found in plant-based foods—was not associated with risk of T2D. The study suggests that cutting down on heme iron from red meat and adopting a plant-rich diet can help lower diabetes risk. And it raises concerns about the addition of heme to increasingly popular plant-based meat alternatives. Boston, MA—Higher intake ...

Older adults’ life satisfaction varies by immigrant status, living arrangement and social disposition

2024-08-13
TORONTO, ON – Do older adults who live alone feel less satisfied with their lives? A new analysis of about 12,000 respondents aged 65 and older reveals that what matters for Canadian older adults’ life satisfaction is not living alone per se. Rather personality-based social dispositions play a key role in how older adults feel about living alone. In addition, the role these dispositions play tend to differ between Canadian-born and immigrant older adults. The researchers found that despite the existence ...

Say ‘aah’ and get a diagnosis on the spot: is this the future of health?

Say ‘aah’ and get a diagnosis on the spot: is this the future of health?
2024-08-13
A computer algorithm has achieved a 98% accuracy in predicting different diseases by analysing the colour of the human tongue. The proposed imaging system developed by Iraqi and Australian researchers can diagnose diabetes, stroke, anaemia, asthma, liver and gallbladder conditions, COVID-19, and a range of vascular and gastrointestinal issues. Engineering researchers from Middle Technical University (MTU) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) achieved the breakthrough in a series of experiments where they used 5260 images to train machine learning algorithms to detect tongue colour. Two ...

Rapid removal of emerging endocrine disruptors in wastewater using high-performance single-atom catalysts

Rapid removal of emerging endocrine disruptors in wastewater using high-performance single-atom catalysts
2024-08-13
Bisphenols are widely used as the main raw material for plastics such as receipts, water bottles, water containers, and vinyl due to their heat-resistant and mechanochemical properties. Among bisphenols, bisphenol A (BPA) that we often refer to as an "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" has been linked to adverse effects on reproduction, development, intelligence, and various metabolic diseases. Bisphenol F (BPF), a recently developed alternative to BPA Bisphenol A has also been reported in the literature to cause neurological disruption and various health risks. Dr. Jong Min Kim of the Materials Architecturing ...

Starvation and adhesion drive formation of keratinocyte patterns in skin

Starvation and adhesion drive formation of keratinocyte patterns in skin
2024-08-13
Cell–cell adhesion-induced patterning in keratinocytes can be explained by just starvation and strong adhesion, Hokkaido University researchers find. Fingerprints are one of the best-recognised examples of pattern formation by epithelial cells. The primary cells in the epithelium are the keratinocytes, and they are known to form patterns at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. While factors affecting this pattern formation have been reported, the exact mechanisms underlying the process are still not fully understood. A team of researchers, led by Associate ...

Ships now spew less sulfur, but warming has sped up

2024-08-13
RICHLAND, Wash.—Last year marked Earth’s warmest year on record. A new study finds that some of 2023’s record warmth, nearly 20 percent, likely came as a result of reduced sulfur emissions from the shipping industry. Much of this warming concentrated over the northern hemisphere. The work, led by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, published today in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. Regulations put into effect in 2020 by the International Maritime Organization required a roughly 80 percent reduction in the sulfur content of shipping ...

Rice-built reactor yields green ammonia and purified water

Rice-built reactor yields green ammonia and purified water
2024-08-13
HOUSTON – (Aug. 12, 2024) – Ammonia plays a critical role in sustaining food production for the world’s growing population, but making it accounts for about 2% of global energy consumption and 1.4% of carbon dioxide emissions. Rice University engineers have developed a revolutionary reactor design that could decarbonize ammonia production while also mitigating water pollution. In a study published in Nature Catalysis, a team of Rice engineers led by Haotian Wang described the development of a new reactor system that converts nitrates — common pollutants found in industrial wastewater and ...

Think fast — or not: FSU research describes mathematics behind decision making

Think fast — or not: FSU research describes mathematics behind decision making
2024-08-13
New research from a Florida State University professor and colleagues explains the mathematics behind how initial predispositions and additional information affect decision making. The research team’s findings show that when decision makers quickly come to a conclusion, the decision is more influenced by their initial bias, or a tendency to err on the side of one of the choices presented. If decision makers wait to gather more information, the slower decision will be less biased. The work was published today in Physical Review E. “The basic result might ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New jab protects babies from serious lung infection, study shows

July Tip Sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Current application status and innovative development of surgical robot

Counterfeited in China: New book assesses state of industry and its future

Machine learning reveals historical seismic events in the Yellowstone caldera

First analyses of Myanmar earthquake conclude fault ruptured at supershear velocity

Curved fault slip captured on CCTV during Myanmar earthquake

Collaboration rewarded for work to further deployment of batteries in emerging economies

Heart-healthy habits also prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, COPD, other diseases, Emory study finds

Scientists will use a $1M grant to build a support system addressing sea level rise and flooding in South Florida

New research examines how pH impacts the immune system

Inhaled agricultural dust disrupts gut health

New study reveals hidden regulatory roles of “junk” DNA

Taking the sting out of ulcerative colitis

Deep life’s survival secret: Crustal faulting generates key energy sources, study shows

Idaho National Laboratory to lead advancements in US semiconductor manufacturing

AI-assisted sorting, other new technologies could improve plastic recycling

More than just larks and owls!

Call for nominations: 2026 Dan David Prize

New tool gives anyone the ability to train a robot

Coexistence of APC and KRAS mutations in familial adenomatous polyposis and endometrial cancer: A mini-review with case-based perspective

First global-to-local study reveals stark health inequalities from COVID-19 in 2020–2021

rcssci: Simplifying complex data relationships with enhanced visual clarity

Why some ecosystems collapse suddenly—and others don’t

One-third of U.S. public schools screen students for mental health issues

GLP-1 RA use and survival among older adults with cancer and type 2 diabetes

Trends in physician exit from fee-for-service Medicare

Systematic investigation of tumor microenvironment and antitumor immunity with IOBR

Common feature between forest fires and neural networks reveals the universal framework underneath

New R package revolutionizes gene set enrichment analysis visualization for biomedical research

[Press-News.org] Delivery robots’ green credentials make them more attractive to consumers