[AutonomousVehicles] Self Driving Tech Company Serve Robotics teams up with Uber Eats

[Cornelius Butler]

Hi Everyone,
There is a new company that is getting into self driving delivery robots.
They are going to be testing delivering food to Uber Eats Customers. Below
is the Article link and Text below.

Article Link:
https://m.futurecar.com/5051/Uber-Makes-Strategic-Investment-in-Autonomous-Sidewalk-Delivery-Bot-Startup-Serve-Robotics

Article Text:

Uber Makes Strategic Investment in Autonomous Sidewalk Delivery Bot Startup
Serve Robotics
Eric Walz    Dec 08, 2021 9:00 AM  WST


Serve Robotics, a Redwood City, California-based company that's developing
tiny autonomous robots for meals or grocery deliveries, announced a $13
million seed funding round with participation from Uber and 7-Eleven. Serve
Robotics announced a delivery partnership with Uber Eats last month.

Other investors include convenience store operator 7-Eleven's venture
capital arm 7-Ventures; DX Ventures, which is backed German food delivery
company Delivery Hero; and Wavemaker Partners and its food
automation-focused venture studio Wavemaker Labs.

Serve Robotics was founded in 2017 as the robotics division of Postmates, a
company that's also working with automaker Ford Motor Co on last-mile
autonomous delivery services.

Uber acquired Postmates for $2.65 billion in 2020 and Serve spun off as an
independent company in Feb 2021. Uber plans to retain a 25% stake in Serve
Robotics.

The California company is a developer of tiny delivery bots, which the
company calls "rovers", resembling small shopping carts, with a lidar unit
supplied by Ouster mounted on top for autonomous navigation. The
compartment is sealed to protect the contents and opens from the top so the
customers can retrieve their food once the rover arrives at their location
using the touchscreen interface on the rover.

The delivery rovers are fully-electric and can operate on sidewalks and
other locations that cars cannot, making them well suited for app-based
food delivery services in urban areas. Customers receive a notification
when the robot is arriving so they can go outside and meet it.

Serve says its self-driving rovers have successfully completed tens of
thousands of contactless deliveries in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The
company has several established commercial partnerships in addition to Uber
Eats. The company continues to expand its partner platform.

"Serve Robotics is pleased to have the backing of strong strategic partners
able to support our intention to provide sustainable, self-driving delivery
at scale," said Dr. Ali Kashani, Co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics.
"This initial round of financial and strategic support will allow us to
continue advancing our technology, growing our team, and expanding our
partnership platform."

The Serve Robotics "rovers" will soon be used by Uber to deliver food in
Los Angeles.

With Uber's Uber Eats division growing rapidly as a result of the pandemic
in 2020, much of the ride-hailing company's focus lately has been primarily
on food delivery, which took up the slack when Uber's core ride-hailing
business slowed as people stayed home.

The technology has the potential to reshape food delivery. Last month, The
on-demand robotic delivery service will be available to Uber Eats customers
starting in Los Angeles early next year.

"Uber and Serve share a commitment to convenience and reliability," said
Sarfraz Maredia, Vice President and Head of Uber Eats in North America. "As
a Serve investor, we're excited to help shape self-driving delivery
technology that can meet changing consumer and merchant needs."

Serve Robotics said it will use the new capital to accelerate the company's
path towards scaling its commercial operations, expansion of its robotic
delivery fleet and continued product development.

Eric Walz
Eric Walz
Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology
reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has
over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer
science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting,
allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies
in the ...
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