Citizens of the state of Ohio, get ready to get tech-y! John Kasich, Governor of Ohio, has just signed a new budget. This budget contains a provision that allows delivery robots to travel sidewalks, as well as crossroads, throughout the state. Putting it simply, delivery robots can now move freely across the state. Ohio is the fifth American state to permit it, the first four being Idaho, Florida, Wisconsin and Virginia. The statute was promoted by Starship Technologies, a UK-based startup robot manufacturer. In other words, it was mainly because of them that the provision has passed. Starship Technologies’ delivery drones are some of the lightest and most portable on the market, which was a huge factor in the states’ decisions.

Unfortunately, denizens of the abovementioned five states will not start seeing drones buzzing around any time soon, as Starship Technologies does not have any robots operating in the US as of yet. Startup plans on launching a pilot program (sort of a ”beta version” of their future service, possibly offering cheaper services in return for a chance of working out aby issues before the big release) in Florida by the end of the year.

While employment of delivery drones brings with it a number of question, mostly regarding how Starship Technologies plan on keeping them safe and secure from theft and vandalization, I am quite excited about the prospect.