Retail
As companies continue to grow, innovate and deploy their robotics and autonomous technologies, certain milestones are met. This week, two companies made announcements regarding achieving new goals – sidewalk delivery firm Serve Robotics said it was the first autonomous vehicle company to complete commercial deliveries at Level 4 autonomy; and WeRide announced it reached 10 million kilometers (6.2 million+ miles) of autonomous driving on public roads, with 2.5 million km in fully driverless mode.
Read more: Serve, WeRide Proclaim Robotics Milestones: Do...
Home Delivery Service (HDS Global), a personalized e-commerce delivery service powered by the RoboFS touchless robotic fulfillment system, has announced the debut of a fully automated robotic fulfillment system at its Technology Center. The center is now open to demonstrate the solution HDS Global built from the ground up to solve problems in existing e-commerce systems.
Read more: HDS Global Launches AI-Based Robotic Technology...
Brain Corp, which develops artificial intelligence software for robotics, has announced the launch of BrainOS Mobile, a mobile application that connects operators and managers directly with their BrainOS-powered robot fleets. The company said the app provides real-time visibility on machine locations, status and performance.
Read more: Brain Launches Mobile App for Remote Access to...
LG Business Solutions USA has announced that its LG CLOi ServeBot, a mobile commercial service robot, will come to the U.S. market in early 2022. The ServeBot (model LDLIM21) has earned UL 3300 certification for safe operation in complex commercial environments, including restaurants, retail stores and hotels.
Nuro, which develops autonomous zero-occupant delivery vehicles, has announced the third generation of its vehicle. The new flagship model, called Nuro, is part of the company’s plans to scale its autonomous delivery services to millions of consumers across the U.S.
Brain Corp and Tennant Company have announced the launch of Inventory Scan, a new data capture accessory that can be fitted onto its autonomous floor scrubbers to autonomously scan and report key details of in-store inventory. The companies said they will demonstrate the technology at the NRF 2022 show in New York, January 16-18.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced it developed and is testing a custom-engineered non-pneumatic (airless) tire (NPT) to support delivery robots for Starship Technologies. The two companies are currently conducting in-field testing at Bowling Green State University in Ohio to evaluate vehicle and tire dependencies.
Powercast, which develops radio frequency (RF) wireless power technologies, has announced it will showcase an array of new batteryless products at CES 2022 that feature its RF long-range over-the-air wireless power technology. One of these applications includes an all-in-one robotic price-changing system for retailers.
DRONEDEK, which has patented a smart mailbox designed for secure drone delivery, has announced it will demonstrate its device at next week’s CES 2022 event in Las Vegas. The mailbox helps complete the “last inch” of a last-mile package delivery process with smart, secured receptacle technology.
BurgerFi, a premium fast-casual restaurant chain, has announced it is testing and expanding five new technologies and creative strategies to stay ahead of evolving consumer preferences and to combat restaurant labor shortages. One of these tests is Patty the Robot, a food delivery robot that brings food to customers at the company’s Jupiter, Fla. location.
Ottonomy has announced that its Ottobots, a fleet of autonomous delivery robots for food and retail, are now available at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). Officially launched for the holiday travel season, passengers can order contactless delivery to their location in Concourse B of the airport, delivered by a robot. Customers can choose grab-and-go, beverage and travel items sold at select retail stores operated by Paradies Lagardere via a mobile app (orderatcvg.com).
Motional, which develops driverless technology, and Uber Technologies have announced a partnership to launch autonomous deliveries for Uber customers. The service will start in Santa Monica, Calif., in 2022, and will use Motional’s electric vehicles to conduct deliveries of a curated set of meal kits from select restaurants on Uber Eats.
Read more: Motional, Uber to Launch Self-Driving Deliveries...
Presto, which develops productivity technologies for restaurants, has announced a partnership with Ottonomy that would allow Presto customers to use autonomous delivery vehicles for contactless curbside and parking lot deliveries. Guests will be able to order and pay using Presto’s touch or voice products, and receive food delivered by an Ottonomy vehicle. The partnership reflects a commitment to finding innovative solutions to address restaurant labor shortages, Presto said.
Serve Robotics, which develops autonomous sidewalk delivery robots, has announced closing $13 million in an expanded seed funding round. The new capital will be used to accelerate commercialization and scaling, drive fleet expansion, grow new markets and continue to develop the product, the company said.
Read more: Serve Robotics Raises Additional $13M to Expand...
Advanced Handling Systems (AHS), a full-service integrator of automated fulfillment distribution solutions, has teamed up with Radial, which delivers omnichannel e-commerce technologies, to implement a new system for fitness retailer Gymshark. A facility in Allentown, Penn., will utilize the Exotek Skypod System as the central pick engine that can switch between batch and discrete picking to support an output of more than 240,000 units per day.
Robot-based delivery service Coco has announced the launch of COCO 1, a larger, more advanced version of its signature pink robot. The COCO 1 is the first robot designed and manufactured in partnership with micro-mobility hardware manufacturer Segway. The company said it will deploy thousands of COCO 1 robots to serve local merchants in multiple cities over the next few months. The increased carrying capacity aims to deliver larger orders for merchants, eliminating the need for car-based delivery.