Avride has announced that its automated pavement robots will begin delivering restaurant orders to customers in several neighbourhoods in Tokyo.
The Texas-based firm has been operating a commercial delivery service using its robots since 2021 on the Ohio State University and the University of Arizona campuses, as well as some districts in Moscow, Russia.
The Tokyo service represents a broader roll-out and the firm’s first deployment of its robots in Japan.
It is being launched in partnership with Rakuten, one of Japan’s largest e-commerce and technology companies. It first trialled robotic delivery pilot programs in 2019.
Starting today, the robots will be delivering a wide range of products from restaurants including a branch of Starbucks and groceries from various supermarkets.
Avride revealed the latest generation of its delivery robots in October last year. They are capable of up to 13 hours of continuous movement and travel at 3-5mph while navigating pavements. They transitioned from...