Your 2am Ben & Jerry’s might soon be delivered by what looks like the love child of Wall-E and Lightning McQueen. This week, DoorDash unveiled an intentionally adorable delivery robot named Dot, which it’s piloting in the Phoenix area, with plans for a wide rollout in the metro area by the year’s end.
The anthropomorphic food box on wheels is DoorDash’s first foray into ground-based autonomous delivery—a frontier many companies have struggled to conquer due to the challenge of navigating chaotic streets without angering pedestrians.
DoorDash claims Dot is different
Dot’s creators are convinced it’s ready to take on the world despite its innocent look:
- The company says Dot’s sensor-laden droid is road-capable, with a top speed of 20 mph, and nimble enough to navigate busy sidewalks, bike lanes, and parking lots.
- Dot can carry a 30-pound delivery haul with space for up to six pizzas.
The robot itself weighs 350 pounds and stands nearly five feet tall—which its creators hope will discourage anyone from messing with it. But if Dot does run into trouble, there are no remote operating capabilities, so field staff would have to be dispatched.
There’s also the sky: DoorDash and its competitor Uber Eats have both recently partnered with autonomous drone company Flytrex to launch aerial delivery.—SK
This report was originally published by Morning Brew.