Uber Eats is launching two autonomous delivery pilot programs in Los Angeles, one with robots from Serve Robotics, the other with cars from Motional.
Uber Eats throw not a but two autonomous delivery pilot programs in Los Angeles, according to TechCrunch. The first is via a partnership with Motional, announced last December, with an autonomous vehicle. The second with the sidewalk delivery company Serve Robotics, a company that was born from Uber.
Uber Eats launches two autonomous delivery pilot programs in Los Angeles
These tests will be very limited, with deliveries from only a few establishments, including Keartion juices and coffees. Serve will handle very short trips in West Hollywood while Motional will deliver further afield in Santa Monica. “We will know from these two pilots what customers really want, what merchants really want, and what makes sense for delivery,” an Uber spokesperson told TechCrunch.
Uber will reportedly charge for deliveries made by Serve. However, autonomous vehicle deliveries in California require a permit that Motional would not have in its possession. Customers should therefore not be charged for these at this time. In addition, a human operator will take control once the vehicle arrives close to its destination “to ensure a smooth and convenient experience for customers,” the spokesperson added.
One with robots from Serve Robotics, the other with cars from Motional
The Serve robots, for their part, will be able to operate practically autonomously, but operators will take over in certain situations, such as when crossing a street.
Customers living in certain areas will have the option of having their food delivered by a self-driving vehicle and will be able to track the delivery. When it arrives, they’ll unlock the vehicle with a code to collect their order, whether it’s the trunk of a Serve robot or the back of a Motional car. “The idea is that [ces tests] are a success and that, over the next few months, we figure out how to expand this network.”