Pavement-bound drones the deliverymen of the future?

Self-driving delivery machines are now traveling around the United Kingdom.

The robots are created by Starship Technologies, a company launched by the co-founders of Skype. They could be tested in the United States next month.

First on "CBS This Morning," CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata got a preview of the new technology, and watched as the "ground drones" went for a spin in London.

The new delivery guy looks more like a cooler on wheels than a high tech robot, but this little baby is about to revolutionize the industry, boasts its creator and Skype founder Ahti Heinla.

"Because, easily, billions of people today are customers of delivery companies," Heinla said.

The battery-powered robot is designed to deliver on demand in less than 30 minutes from a neighborhood store or depot to the doorstep. It scoots along at four miles per hour and it is big enough to carry most home deliveries.

And while aerial drones have been getting all the attention, Heinla said that idea just isn't ready to get off the ground.

"It's a lot safer. It's a lot friendlier to people," Heinla said. "People don't like aerial drones. They don't like drones flying over their backyards with other people's groceries dangling there."

"Is this a fantastic idea? Is it absurd? It's hard to judge right off the bat," said Scott Stein, senior editor at CNET. "Although, stay tuned -- robots and automated services for delivery are going to come."

But Heinla doesn't even like the term "ground drone"; making them likeable was a big part of the design.

"We knew it has to be cute, or it has to be a good looking robot," Heinla said. "Most of the people that this robot is going to encounter on the sidewalks, they're not technologists, they're not industrialists. They're regular people and for them, it wouldn't be ideal if the robot looks like a robot."

But it is a robot.

Nine onboard cameras and sensors detect pedestrians and tell it to slow down, stop and change direction. It uses GPS and on-board maps to reach its destination.

Although it is monitored by humans, the robot itself does 99 percent of the work. It not only knows where people are, it also recognizes them. Using a special app, only the recipient will be able to unlock the lid and get at the goods.

The creators are aiming specifically at suburbs -- places with open sidewalks. Big cities are simply too crowded already.

And of course, there are other vulnerabilities to consider.

"Isn't there a concern about teenagers taking a bat to it for fun?" D'Agata asked.

"Of course, of course I'm sure somebody will do that at some point, but there's also danger of the same people taking a bat to a parked car for instance," Heinla said.

A human operator can also use a speaker to warn the culprits that they're being filmed, and that authorities are on the way.

There's only one problem -- it doesn't have a name yet.

"I think this thing deserves a brilliant name, and we are searching for it," Heinla said.