The Grand Canyon State is going to see more robot deliveries soon!
Robots for smaller deliveries
Particularly along Valley streets, people are starting to see these robots go around. That’s because DoorDash has ramped up its Dot service, created to handle smaller items that are too small and negligible to even ask for the effort of a full-size car. Such as, for example, a toothpaste tube or a pack of diapers.
“The breakthrough wasn’t just making it autonomous, but in making it reliable and efficient to serve the needs of local businesses and consumers,” said Stanley Tang, the co-founder and head of DoorDash Labs. “Dot is purpose-built for the millions of deliveries we facilitate every day.”
Dot will be very helpful to navigate doorways and driveways, yet won’t spoil the quality of the food, and it will be smart enough to optimize the best delivery routes.
“Every design decision, from its compact size to its speed to the sensor suite, came from analyzing billions of deliveries on our global platform and understanding what actually moves the needle for merchants and consumers,” stated Tang.
Happy people in Arizona
Ridesharing media heard that people started to see their cruising along Elliott Road over the weekend.
“It’s kind cool, because robots are always going to be cool,” noted Chandler resident Greg Carrier.
However, it is interesting to note he has his doubts when seeing them. He is also raising their eyebrows just as you would to hacking.
“You know, I think convenience, but I also think things like… there’s a lot of people that rely on DoorDash for income too, so what is that impact? One of the first ones that I saw was while I was moving into this neighborhood… there was one, I was getting ready to make a turn and it just crossed the intersection, and I was like what is that? They kind of look like those toy cars for the toddlers, and I thought somebody’s kid was on the loose.”
Similar to the general consensus that these robots are taking the jobs of humans.
About Dot
The robot carrying smaller items, Dot, stands four-and-a-half feet tall and weighs 350 pounds.
It uses GPS and LiDAR sensors to navigate roads, sidewalks, bike lanes, and footpaths. It can go at a speed of around 20 miles an hour.
It also features LED headlights, and its “mouth” opens to reveal the delivery.
DoorDash explains
It is not the intention of DoorDash for the robots to take the jobs of humans. They’re actually on the road to help ease traffic congestion and emissions. Imagine how many people need deliveries daily, right?
“With more than 10 billion deliveries under our belt, we’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and what scales,” stated Ashu Rege, deputy and head of autonomy at DoorDash Labs. “Making autonomous technology work for delivery requires reimagining it from the ground up. We’ve built Dot and our Autonomous Delivery Platform using advanced AI and robotics specifically designed for the complexities of local commerce.”