The phenomenon of robots delivering food on the streets in United States is due to the reduction in people's contact during the epidemic and the increase in food delivery. Perhaps in the future, robot delivery of food will replace traditional food delivery service.
A food delivery robot crosses the street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Food delivery by robots is no longer the subject of science fiction. Hundreds of small robots — knee-high enough to hold about four large pizzas — are now on university campuses and even sailing on urban sidewalks in the United States, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Although the number of robot tests before the coronavirus attack was limited, the companies that made the robots stated that the shortage of labor associated with the pandemic and the increasing preference for non-contact transportation accelerated the deployment of robots.
After the outbreak of the epidemic, the contact between people has gradually decreased, and various kinds of distribution have gradually developed instead. In foreign countries, scientists have developed a robot that can deliver food, making robots delivering food no longer the subject of science fiction. The current pilot is the campus of Michigan State University in the United States, but it can be foreseen that in the near future, robot delivery will be distributed in various communities and will begin to spread globally.
Hundreds of small robots are knee-high and can hold about four big pizzas now designated university campuses and even some urban sidewalks. In countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, despite the limited number of robot tests prior to the coronavirus attack, companies that make robots say that labor shortages associated with the pandemic and the increasing preference for non-contact transportation have accelerated the deployment of robots.
As robots appear in more and more real worlds, it is very important that they can effectively cooperate with human users. In addition to communicating with humans and assisting them in their daily work, it may be useful for robots to autonomously decide whether they need their help.
The designs of robots vary; for example, some have four wheels and some have six. But generally speaking, they use cameras, sensors, GPS, and sometimes laser scanners to navigate on sidewalks from the main ground, or even traverse streets. They move at a speed of 5 miles per hour.
A remote operator monitors multiple robots at once, but rarely needs to step on the brakes or bypass obstacles. When the robot arrives at the destination, the customer will enter the password on the phone and open the lid to retrieve the food.
The shortcomings of these robots limit their usefulness. They are electric, so they must be charged regularly. They are very slow and usually stay within a small pre-mapped radius.
However, many large cities such as New York, Beijing, and San Francisco may not welcome them with crowded sidewalks. Because of their lack of flexibility, customers cannot tell the robot to leave food outside the door.
However, Bill Ray, an analyst at consulting firm Gartner, believes that these robots are very meaningful in corporate or university campuses, or in new communities with wide sidewalks.
There are no reports of robot problems, but occasionally a group of children will surround the robot and try to confuse it. In 2019, Starship of the University of Pittsburgh temporarily stopped service because a wheelchair user said that a robot blocked her ramp.
Patrick Sheck, a junior at Bowling Green State University, receives three to four deliveries of Starship robots during the end of class every week.
Kiwibot, based in Los Angeles and Medellin, Colombia, said it now has 400 robots delivering deliveries on university campuses and downtown Miami.
Courier companies have also entered the market one after another. Grubhub recently partnered with Russian robot manufacturer Yandex to deploy 50 robots on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio. Grubhub plans to add more campuses soon, although the company emphasizes that the current service will not exceed the scope of the university.
Data and consulting firm NPD data show that in the fiscal year ending in June, delivery orders in the United States increased by 66%. Even after the pandemic eases, since customers have become accustomed to this convenience, delivery demand may continue to rise.
Ji Hye Kim, the chef and managing partner of Miss Kim at the restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, relied heavily on robot deliveries when the restaurant closed last year. Shortly before the pandemic began, King worked with a local robotics company.
Kim prefers robots to third-party couriers like Doodash, which charge significantly higher fees and sometimes cancel orders if there are not enough drivers. She said that the courier company also bundles multiple orders for each trip, so food is sometimes delivered cold. The robot only accepts one order at a time.
Kim said these robots also excite customers, and they often post videos of their interactions.
Kim said: "It's very cute and novel, and it doesn't have to be face to face. It's a comfort.". Since her restaurant reopened, delivery demand has dropped, but the robot can still deliver about 10 orders a day.
Although Kim has been holding on to employees during the flu pandemic, other restaurants are struggling to find employees. In a recent survey, 75% of American restaurant owners told the National Restaurant Association that recruiting and retaining employees is their biggest challenge.
This makes many restaurants hope to use robot delivery to fill vacancies.
Dennis Maloney, senior vice president and chief digital officer of Domino's Pizza, said: "There are not enough delivery drivers in the country."
Domino is working with a California startup, Nuro, whose 6-foot-tall autonomous cockpit has a top speed of 25 miles per hour on the street, not on the sidewalk. Nuro is testing groceries and food delivery in Houston, Phoenix and Mountain View, California.
Maloney said this is not a question of whether robots will start doing more deliveries, but a question of when. He believes that companies like Domino will eventually use a mixture of robots and drivers based on location. For example, sidewalk robots can work in military bases, while Nuro is ideal for suburban areas. Highway driving will be left to human workers.
Maloney said that the current delivery of Nuro is more expensive than the use of manual driving, but as the technology continues to upgrade and improve, the cost will drop.
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