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Swiss robotics company RIVR is partnering with delivery platform Veho to test a fleet of robots that can deliver packages right to your door in Austin, Texas.
Why It Rolls: While several startups are racing to make a humanoid robot, some of the biggest innovations in robotics are happening with single-task-focused autonomous machines. You soon won’t be able to turn your head without seeing a robot being beta-tested on a specific function in the wild.
Between the Drop-Offs: Forget last-mile delivery… true shipping innovation is happening in the last 100 feet.
- RIVR is testing one robot to start, which will work alongside a human driver, so they can deliver more parcels simultaneously.
- The robot will drop off an order according to the customer’s instructions and send a photo of the delivery via the Veho app.
- They’ll also collect data on how to navigate uneven sidewalks, stairs, porches, and other urban and rural terrain.
- RIVR and Veho aim to have 100 of these delivery bots out in the wild by 2026.
Last Mile: Building a robot that can traverse the unpredictable terrain of residential delivery could supercharge delivery times and save humans the headache of finding their front door — something nearly every delivery driver complains about when needing to hit airtight quotas. Since Veho handles orders from retailers like Lululemon and Macy’s, keeping those customers happy could be a bellwether for whether human drivers get more help from robots.
Prediction: As delivery robots become more practical, expect Amazon to follow suit with its own rollout — especially if early results show they help drivers move faster and keep customers happy.
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