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autonomous delivery

Chicago residents push to pause delivery robot pilot over safety and accessibility concerns

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More than 800 Chicago residents have signed a petition calling on the city to pause its sidewalk delivery robot pilot, citing safety, accessibility and privacy concerns as more machines begin operating in neighbourhoods such as Lakeview.

The petition, hosted at NoSidewalkBots.org, urges the city to “pause the sidewalk-robot program until CDOT & BACP release safety & ADA findings, evaluate that data and local job impacts in a public hearing, and set clear rules.”

CBS Chicago reported that the robots – operated by Serve Robotics and Coco Robotics – are now a common sight in parts of the North Side. But not every resident is comfortable sharing the pavement with them. [Read more…] about Chicago residents push to pause delivery robot pilot over safety and accessibility concerns

Starship Technologies raises $50 million Series C to scale autonomous delivery across US cities

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Starship Technologies, one of the world’s largest autonomous delivery companies with over 9 million deliveries across seven nations, has announced the successful completion of a $50 million funding round led by Plural.

The company, founded by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, has now raised more than $280 million in total funding to replicate its success in European cities and US university campuses across American urban markets.

Starship operates at absolute commercial scale with a track record no competitor can match. Having proven autonomous delivery works across multiple European urban markets and US university campuses, the company is now positioned to transform American urban logistics. [Read more…] about Starship Technologies raises $50 million Series C to scale autonomous delivery across US cities

DoorDash partners with Serve Robotics to expand sidewalk robot deliveries in the US

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DoorDash, which provides online ordering and delivery services for businesses, and Serve Robotics, an autonomous sidewalk delivery company, have agreed a new multi-year strategic partnership to roll out autonomous robot deliveries across the US.

Los Angeles residents ordering through the DoorDash app from participating merchants may have their order delivered by a Serve robot. The partnership will expand the potential volume of orders available to Serve for delivery.

This partnership reflects DoorDash’s broader multi-modal delivery platform strategy, which integrates Dashers, drones, and autonomous robots to meet increasing demand while lowering emissions and traffic congestion. [Read more…] about DoorDash partners with Serve Robotics to expand sidewalk robot deliveries in the US

Serve Robotics marks launch of its 1,000th autonomous delivery robot

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Serve Robotics has deployed its 1,000th autonomous delivery robot, marking a significant milestone for the San Francisco-based company as it scales operations across the United States.

The Nasdaq-listed firm said more than 380 of its third-generation robots were rolled out in September alone, bringing the fleet to 1,000 active units.

Serve reiterated that it remains on track to reach 2,000 deployed robots by the end of 2025, fulfilling its expansion plans set earlier this year. [Read more…] about Serve Robotics marks launch of its 1,000th autonomous delivery robot

Serve Robotics takes its delivery robots to Chicago in partnership with Uber Eats

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Serve Robotics, a robotic sidewalk delivery company, has launched its service in the Chicago metro area, marking its first expansion into the Midwest.

This milestone builds on Serve’s successful rollouts in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Atlanta as part of its ongoing collaboration with Uber Eats, the delivery platform of Uber Technologies.

Starting today, Chicagoans across 14 neighborhoods – including Austin, Belmont Cragin, Dunning, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Little Italy, Logan Square, Near North Side, Near West Side, Uptown, West Garfield Park and West Town – can enjoy their local favorites delivered by Serve’s fleet of friendly sidewalk robots. [Read more…] about Serve Robotics takes its delivery robots to Chicago in partnership with Uber Eats

Last-mile delivery robots: Navigating sidewalks and urban landscapes

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An update on the progress and challenges of autonomous ground-based delivery robots

Estimates of the size of the global market for robotic and autonomous delivery vary widely, but most analysts agree that the category is growing fast from a relatively small base.

MarketsandMarkets projects the global delivery robots market at about $796 million in 2025, reaching $3.24 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of approximately 32 percent.

Some analysts peg the segment more conservatively – $400 million in 2025 growing to $770 million by 2029 at a CAGR of around 18 percent – illustrating the uncertainty around scale, scope (food v parcel), and definitions (sidewalk v road-going pods). [Read more…] about Last-mile delivery robots: Navigating sidewalks and urban landscapes

Serve Robotics adds Voysys teleoperation technology to its delivery robots

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Serve Robotics, an autonomous sidewalk robotic delivery company, has announced its acquisition of the assets of Phantom Auto and its subsidiary, Voysys, a Swedish pioneer in ultra-low latency video streaming, connectivity, and teleoperation technology.

The acquisition enhances Serve’s technology stack to support its rapidly growing fleet of autonomous delivery robots. The assets were acquired for cash consideration of approximately $5.75 million.

Voysys, founded in 2014, has developed industry-leading video and data streaming solutions that enable connection to autonomous vehicles, machinery, and robots over heterogeneous networks. [Read more…] about Serve Robotics adds Voysys teleoperation technology to its delivery robots

Robomart’s new autonomous vehicle challenges human delivery workers with $3 flat fee

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A new autonomous vehicle from startup Robomart is set to challenge food delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats with a flat $3 delivery fee, no hidden charges, and a multi-order capacity.

Unveiled this week, the new RM5 vehicle is a Level 4 autonomous, all-electric van with 10 individual climate-controlled lockers for customer orders, aiming to make on-demand delivery economically sustainable for both retailers and customers.

Unlike the small, sidewalk-based robots that are currently in use, Robomart’s RM5 is a larger, shuttle-sized vehicle with a 500-pound payload capacity. [Read more…] about Robomart’s new autonomous vehicle challenges human delivery workers with $3 flat fee

Starship launches robot food delivery service at Old Dominion University

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With the fall semester approaching, Grubhub and Starship Technologies rolled out their food delivery service today on Old Dominion University’s campus. This makes ODU one of only three universities in Virginia to feature this amenity.

Starship’s fleet of 11 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from seven campus eateries: Chick-fil-A (Webb Center and University Village), Starbucks (Webb Center and University Village), Panera Bread, Qdoba and Steak ‘N Shake.

Students, faculty, staff and the ODU community can now use the Grubhub app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. [Read more…] about Starship launches robot food delivery service at Old Dominion University

Arrive AI selects Synoptek as strategic IT partner to power global expansion

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Arrive AI – a pioneering autonomous delivery network anchored by Arrive Points – has selected Synoptek as a strategic IT partner to enable its rapid growth and global ambitions. Synoptek will provide Arrive AI with all the IT solutions it needs to support its business.

With a recent injection of up to $40 million in funding from Streeterville Capital, Arrive AI is entering a critical growth phase. The company is preparing to launch its patented, autonomous delivery platform later this summer and expects to triple its staff size.

Mark Hamm, COO of Arrive AI, says: “Synoptek’s strategic approach, deep expertise, robust tech stack and strong partnerships with Microsoft and ServiceNow made it a clear choice. [Read more…] about Arrive AI selects Synoptek as strategic IT partner to power global expansion