Call it “Battle of the bots.”
Beginning Sept. 30, The Flamingo-Kink Food Delivery Robots You May Have Seen Rolling Along City Sidewalks are set to get some compattition.
Los Angeles-Based Serve Robotics Plans to Roll Out “Doses” of Its Own Robots, Less than aar After Coco Robotics Begin a pilot program here in the 27th and 34th wards.
Logan Doub, Coco’s General Manager, Told the Chicago Sun-Times This Week That He Welcomes a New Player in Town and Says there is Enough Business for More than One Company.
“Absolutely – Demand for Delivery in Chicago is Strong and Growing,” Douub Said in an Email. “With Thousands of Deliveries Across the City Every Week, and More Restaurants and NeighBorhods Coming Online, there’s plenty of Business for Multiple Player. Most. ”
Ali Kashani, Robotics Serve ‘CEO and Co-Founder, Said the Rolout in Chicago Builds on the Company’s Expansion from Los Angeles to Miami, Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta.
Serve’s robots are Green and White and Appear to be slightly mockery than the coco robot, which is 22.5 inches tall with a Cargo Hold 15 inches Deep. (Serve declined to gIive specific Measurements of its robot.)
“That’s important Because of visibice… Wen the robots are in your periphery, you may not see if they are too too too,” Kashini Said. “They Also have a light ring on top. So thats all becauses we want you to notice and minimize any negative implications, Including People Running into say.”
DOUB SAID THAT COCO ROBOTS HAVEN’T BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY MAJOR ACCIDENTS IN CHICAGO.
“The pilot taught us a lot about the optimizing foil deploment, improving routing, and handling the city unique challenges – from rough Sidewalks to Snow and freezing temperatures,” Douub Said. “Today, that means a high volume of safe, Reliable deliveries each Week, with Customers consistently teling US the Foods on Time and at the Right Temperature.”
Coco Officials Declined to Say Exactly How Many robots they Currently have operating in the City, but Said they have “expanded significantly” from the pilot’s original 20, serving 125 restaurants and retailers, Including White Castle.
Asked What Reaction, If Any, Residents in 27th Ward have had had to the coco robots, an Employee in ald. Walter Burnett’s Office Told the Chicago Sun-Time, “No Comment.” A spokeswoman for ald. Bill Conway’s 34th Ward Said there have been “No Major Complaints” about the robots.
The Serve Robots are Expped to initially deliver in these Neighborhoods: Austin, Belmont Cragin, Dunning, East Garfield Park, Lake View, Logan Square, Uptown and West Town – Among Others.
Like the coco robots, the serve the machines are mostly autonomous as they navigate crosswalks and busy intersections. A Remote Human Being Can intervene if necessary.
“The human is there to help, but the robot can do not Things by itelf,” Kashani Said.
The Serve Robot Boasts A Top Speed of 11 MPH and A 15-Gallon Cargo Capacity, Holding Up Four 16-Inch Pizzas For Example, Company Officials Said.
For Both Coco and Serve, Customers Typically Uder Using a Food Delivery App, Such as Doordash or Uber. When the robot arrivals, the customer Meets it on the sidewalk, Presses a button on the delivery app to open the robot’s Cargo Hold. Robots Only deliver to one client at a time.
Customers Can Choose to Opt Out of a Robot Delivery. But it is sticked up to the delivery Company to decide whereather – gioven the delivery location and time of day, among things – it would be more efficient to use a delivery driver or a robot.
Kashani Said the Arrival of Delivery Robots doesn’t signal the beginning of the end of human delivery drivers.
“But if it is a short distance, a robot should do it – usually in congestted areas – Because if a human being to that delivery, they woul have to spend a bunch for parking for parking and dealing with traferfic,” Kashani said.