Uber sends sidewalk robots out to deliver food
STORY: This robot is delivering food
to Uber Eats users
as part of a pilot project
in and around Hollywood
ALI KASHANI, CEO, SERVE ROBOTICS SAYING:
“We wanted something that belongs on the sidewalk, but something that's familiar and not frightening, but also kind of fresh and fun. So if people see these robots, they see the eyes, they see the personality, it actually, you know, it adds something to your day.”
The robots have human names
like Zoe and Quinn
They can blink their eyes
and will even say
'excuse me' as they pass by
Though they are fully autonomous
the robots are still monitored
by human 'pilots' nearby
ALI KASHANI, CEO, SERVE ROBOTICS SAYING:
“Everything that's happened over the last few years has become a tailwind for us - for this type of delivery, because amid the pandemic, you had the issue of contactless deliveries. With the labor shortage, you have the problem of not being able to find enough people willing to do these jobs, which is the problem we’re solving today and more recently with the gas issue that these robots step in and help.”
MAXIMILIANO WESCHLER, LALA’S ARGENTINE GRILL SAYING:
“I think it's incredible. And I actually I mean, from day one, I was a big advocate for it. I saw, I saw the potential in it and I still see the potential and I see that this is the direction that we're heading for the future. So, you know, it's for me, it's exciting. Good times.”