Restaurants Mulling Robot Deliveries Amid Job Shortages, High Demand

Robot food delivery is no longer the stuff of science fiction. But you may not see it in your neighborhood anytime soon.

Starship has more than 1,000 robots in its fleet, up from just 250 in 2019. Hundreds more will be deployed soon. They’re delivering food on 20 US campuses; 25 more will be added soon. They’re also operating on sidewalks in Milton Keynes, England; Modesto, California; and the company’s hometown of Tallin, Estonia.

The robots have drawbacks that limit their usefulness for now. They’re electric, so they must recharge regularly. They’re slow, and they generally stay within a small, pre-mapped radius.

Delivery companies are also jumping into the market. Grubhub recently partnered with Russian robot maker Yandex to deploy 50 robots on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Grubhub plans to add more campuses soon, although the company stresses that the service won’t go beyond colleges for now.

Domino’s is partnering with Nuro, a California startup whose 6-foot-tall self-driving pods go at a maximum speed of 25 mph on streets, not sidewalks. Nuro is testing grocery and food delivery in Houston, Phoenix and Mountain View, California.

https://nypost.com/2021/11/02/restaurants-testing-out-robot-deliveries-amid-job-shortages/

Robot Food Delivery Is Here and Growing

 

Hundreds of little robots are rolling around colleges and cities in the United States, Britain and elsewhere. The robots, about 50 centimeters tall, are bringing food like pizza to hungry students.

The robots were being tested in limited numbers before the pandemic started. But pandemic-related worker shortages and a desire for contactless delivery have expanded their use.

The robots use cameras, sensors and GPS to move around and even cross streets on their own at the speed of 8 kilometers per hour. When a robot arrives, people enter a code from their phones to open the robot and get their food.

Data company NPD found that U.S. food delivery orders increased 66 percent for the year ending in June. And delivery demand could remain high even after the pandemic because people have gotten used to the service.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/robot-food-delivery-is-here-and-growing/6298682.html