Uber is set to deploy a new fleet of delivery robots on the streets of Miami, Florida. The six-wheeled robots, manufactured by auto supplier Magna, have been developed by California-based AI firm Cartken. The company, founded by ex-Google engineers, is known for deploying its robots on college campuses. The robots will deliver items offered by businesses in the Dadeland area of Miami-Dade County, with plans to expand into other areas of the city and other markets in 2023. They have a range of several miles and can carry up to two dozen pounds of cargo. They are also equipped with cameras that can identify obstacles and help them navigate.
The deployment of autonomous delivery robots is becoming increasingly common, with many being seen on college campuses and in some towns and cities. However, there have been instances of robots getting stuck in snow, being run over by cars, or even catching fire.
Uber has been expanding its use of autonomous vehicles for ride-hailing trips and deliveries. The company has a 10-year agreement with Nuro to use its delivery vehicles in California and Texas, and is working with Serve Robotics and Motional on a robot delivery pilot in Los Angeles. It is also featuring Motional’s robotaxis for ride-hail customers on its app in Las Vegas.
In the past, Uber had developed its own fleet of autonomous vehicles with the aim of eventually replacing all of its human drivers. However, the program was terminated after a woman was killed by one of the company’s vehicles in 2017.
In my opinion, having delivery robots is a huge advantage for us. Not only are they less costly than having people do the transportation, but also productivity is increased because robots don’t need breaks or there is no need to wait for the next available person to deliver something to a consumer. On the other hand, if we replace robots with humans, many people will lose their job.
It is certainly an exciting idea but still, there is room for improvement. As you said, those vehicles may not identify some obstacles and while on the university campus, they can not cause many problems, on the busy city streets they might be dangerous for humans every now and then (even though they are much smaller than cars). However, this solution might be desirable for groceries fast delivery industry, postal services, etc. I wonder whether they will be pushing to quickly introduce them in more places worldwide.