DoorDash Inc, the largest food delivery platform in the United States, unveiled its autonomous delivery robot, Dot, on 29 September. Co-founder Stanley Tang introduced the red, four-wheeled vehicle at an event, calling it the result of years of development at DoorDash Labs.
Dot is designed to carry up to 14 kg and travel at speeds of 32km/h. Tang said Dot is the “first commercial autonomous delivery robot to travel on bike lanes, roads, and sidewalks.”
Dot, what we know: Features, development, more
- Dot is a four-wheeled autonomous robot that stands 4-feet, 6-inches tall and uses a combination of external cameras, radars and lidar sensors on top of and below its storage compartment to perceive and navigate its surroundings.
- It claims Dot is “faster than the maximum speeds of sidewalk robots programmed by its partner, Coco Robotics, and Uber Eats’ partner Serve Robotics Inc”.
- Dot is an electric robot that uses a swappable battery that can last as long as six hours on a charge.
- It is rounder in shape than comparable robots and was inspired by the D-shaped logo of the company.
