Doordash launches an automatic distribution robot called DOT.
Courtesy: Doordash
your Doordash The delivery person may look a little different soon.
Doordash announced on Tuesday a robot that navigates busy streets, parking and sidewalks to deliver customers to food.
Dot pushes Doordash’s first official standalone push into self-driving car technology. The company previously partnered with Coco Robotics, a startup that tested drone delivery and supported by Sam Altman for sidewalk delivery.
“The size and complexity of a business demands something like autonomy and nothing fits our use case,” Doordash co-founder Stanley Tang told CNBC.
Tang, who heads the Doordash Labs Automation and Robotics unit, said Dot is an increasingly complex delivery solution and is trying to open up technology to local merchants. The company said the robot can reach up to 20 mph and carry up to six pizza boxes, or items worth 30 pounds.
Autonomous delivery is a new trend. last week. Uber It announced a food delivery partnership with Israeli drone startup FlyTrex, which previously delivered food using self-driving Waymo Cars.
Doordash is testing the robots in Phoenix and plans to expand to other metropolitan areas later. DOT is now open to merchants in the Phoenix area via Doordash’s new autonomous distribution platform.
The DOT is equipped with eight cameras and three LIDAR sensors to navigate road scenarios such as busy parking, blocked bike lanes and busy streets. It also includes an internal camera to ensure the quality of the food.
Doordash has announced a smart scale feature that weighs orders and detects potential missing items. The company said internal data suggests that it reduced complaints about items that lacked test products by up to 30%.
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