Uber Eats launches robot delivery service in Miami

CNN
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The next time you order food from Uber Eats, it might be delivered by a robot — at least if you live in Miami.

Starting Thursday, some Miami residents can. Uber Eats is ordering its takeout to be delivered via autonomous sidewalk-based robots in a new partnership between the ride-hailing company and robotics company Cartken.

With the new service, customers will be alerted when their meal is on the way, and then a remote-controlled robot will be directed to meet them on the sidewalk, according to an in-app screenshot Uber shared with CNN. Customers can unlock the car using their phone and pick up their order from the safe. (Customers may opt-out if they prefer to have their items mailed.)

Kartken’s six-wheeled robots are equipped with multiple sensors and cameras to help them avoid collisions and choose routes with less risk, according to its website. Delivery robots can work both indoors and outdoors.

The catering selection will initially be available in the Dadeland area. Miami-Dade CountyThey plan to expand across the county and into more cities next year.

The announcement is the latest example of Uber partnering with foreign companies to bring futuristic, automated technologies to investors and the public. Uber also recently partnered with Motional, a driverless technology company, to offer autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas. The move comes two years after Uber sold off its self-driving car division under financial and legal pressure.

In a statement Thursday, Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility and delivery, Noah Zich, called the latest collaboration with Kartken “another important milestone for its efforts in autonomous and autonomous technology.”

With these partnerships, Uber may be trying to get away from relying on a large number of independent contractors to pick up riders and deliver meals — a business model that has presented the company with legal issues in recent years.

Christian Bersch, co-founder and CEO at Kartken, pointed out some of the benefits of the new partnership, including reducing traffic congestion and allowing local merchants to increase delivery capacity with emission-free delivery options.

In June, Kartken partnered with Grubhub to bring robotics supplies to some college campuses in the United States. The company’s partnership with Uber marks its first with an on-demand delivery app outside of college campuses.