Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/05\/30\/serve-robotics-to-deploy-up-to-2000-sidewalk-delivery-bots-on-uber-eats\/<\/a><\/br>
\nServe Robotics to deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery bots on Uber Eats<\/br>
\n2023-05-30 22:03:45<\/br><\/p>\n

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Serve Robotics, the Uber spinout that builds autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats. The Nvidia-backed<\/a> startup will now deploy up to 2,000 of its cute little bots via Uber\u2019s platform in multiple markets across the U.S.<\/p>\n

The partnership is slated to last through the beginning of 2026.<\/p>\n

This expansion not only validates Serve\u2019s goal to mass commercialize robotics for autonomous delivery, but it also signals that Uber is furthering its commitment to autonomy. Last week, Uber announced Waymo\u2019s autonomous vehicles<\/a> would be available for ride-hail and delivery on Uber\u2019s platform starting in Phoenix later this year. Uber is also working with Motional<\/a> to deliver food in Santa Monica via the company\u2019s self-driving Hyundai IONIQ 5s.<\/p>\n

Serve and Uber\u2019s partnership began a year ago as a pilot in West Hollywood. Since then, Serve\u2019s robotic deliveries with Uber have grown more than 30% month-over-month, with over 200 restaurants in West Hollywood, Hollywood and Fairfax now participating. The bots now operate seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect our rapid growth on Uber Eats to continue,\u201d Kashani told TechCrunch. \u201cWe currently have a fleet of 100 robots in Los Angeles, and we expect to operate an increasing number of them on Uber Eats as our coverage and delivery volume on Uber increases.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fleet is also shared with Serve\u2019s other partners, like 7-Eleven, which recently launched robotic sidewalk delivery with Serve in LA.<\/p>\n

Serve didn\u2019t say which markets would be next for its partnership with Uber, but the company is eyeing San Jose, Dallas and Vancouver. The startup has also recently completed pilots in Arkansas with Walmart and Pizza Hut in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

The companies also didn\u2019t disclose the value of the deal, but Kashani said that Serve\u2019s business model is delivery-as-a-service, meaning Serve gets paid after completing each delivery.<\/p>\n

Serve describes its sidewalk bots as capable of Level 4 autonomy. Level 4 is a designation by the Society of Automobile Engineers<\/a> (SAE) that means the vehicle can handle all aspects of driving in certain conditions without human intervention. However, when robots come across edge cases, such as police tape<\/a> or construction, they stop and ask for remote supervisors to intervene. Kashani says the robots can reroute if they face obstacles or obstruction.<\/p>\n

Supervisors also help with street crossings, but Serve\u2019s robots can predict driver inattention and avoid collision on their own.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something remote supervisors can do little to help with given how quickly cars appear, versus the delays caused by network latency and human reaction time,\u201d said Kashani.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Science, Tech, Technology<\/br>
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\nSource:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/05\/30\/serve-robotics-to-deploy-up-to-2000-sidewalk-delivery-bots-on-uber-eats\/<\/a><\/br><\/br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source:https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/05\/30\/serve-robotics-to-deploy-up-to-2000-sidewalk-delivery-bots-on-uber-eats\/ Serve Robotics to deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery bots on Uber Eats 2023-05-30 22:03:45 Serve Robotics, the Uber spinout that builds autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, is expanding its partnership with Uber Eats. The Nvidia-backed startup will now deploy up to 2,000 of its cute little bots via Uber\u2019s platform in multiple markets across […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,17,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-tech","category-technology"],"yoast_head":"\n