Thanks to this long-awaited industry event, a fleet of next-generation robots will be able to navigate the city's sidewalks more confidently and productively. Serve Robotics in January announced the introduction of next-generation autonomous delivery robots, making it the first manufacturer to deliver commercial orders at Level 4 autonomy. The event demonstrates that the latest robot from Serve Robotics can operate without human input and rely on built-in capabilities for safe operation. It is the industry's first result of nearly five years of work by Serve Robotics experts and is a significant step forward in the autonomous vehicle industry, significantly reducing the barriers to autonomous delivery on an industrial scale.
The company's robots incorporate comprehensive technologies that guarantee maximum safety by using multi-layered redundant systems for critical navigation functions. It includes various sensors - such as active (lidar and ultrasonic) and passive (cameras) - for safe movement on busy city sidewalks. To achieve this goal, Serve Robotics needed to create many market-leading features, such as an automatic emergency braking system, vehicle collision avoidance, and reliable mechanical braking.
According to the company, these robots are completely autonomous. They do not need any human assistance at all to make deliveries.
Thanks to this technical and commercial development, the full range of robotic delivery capabilities is beginning to be realized, making delivery accessible and stable.
Serve's technical achievement was achieved with the support of significant technology partners, including NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Ouster (NYSE: OUST). The NVIDIA Jetson platform for robotics and autonomous vehicles features artificial intelligence computing processes that enable Serve robots to understand their complex environments in real-time. Ouster's lidar sensors are a compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient sensing technology that allows robots to steer themselves with confidence.
Serve Robotics has made several tens of thousands of deliveries in Los Angeles. Its fleet of the latest generation robots will ensure its expansion into other regions, as it plans to launch a delivery service for Uber Eats and other partners in 2022.
Serve Robotics is building the future of reliable autonomous delivery.
The company develops and operates emission-free robots that serve customers in public, primarily in food delivery. As the robotics division of Postmates, founded in 2017, Serve set out to develop delivery robots that delight customers, provide reliable vendors, and reduce environmental emissions to zero. Five years later, the company's self-driving robots have made several tens of thousands of successful non-contact deliveries in Los Angeles and San Francisco. After separating as an independent company in February 2021, Serve was backed by Uber's corporate venture capital arm, 7-Eleven and Delivery Hero, and other global investors. Serve has entered into several commercial agreements and is expanding its partner platform.
On a single charge, the robots can transport up to 50 pounds (18.7 kg) over a distance of 25 miles (40.2 km). The cargo compartment holds items that can be opened using a phone app or password.
Serve Robotics is the first autonomous vehicle company to commercialize Level 4 self-driving robots.
