Cool, Dubai Uses Food Delivery Robot To Serve Orders From Home

Illustration of autonomous robotics A-122. (Source: Yandex Sef Driving Group)

JAKARTA - A fleet of driverless robots delivers about 100 food orders per week to homes in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

One of the delivery robots was exhibited in front of global transportation officials at a meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

The officials at the exhibition were told how the small vehicle belonging to the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) navigated the highway, while delivering orders from Dubai malls to homes in pilot areas.

The three-month trial, which began in February, has proven successful, with the robots now running regular services in certain communities.

Sergei Kirillov of the Self Driving Group, which created the vehicle's robotics, said the plan was to expand the project to more areas.

"The next stage is to invite more vendors to join. Currently, we are making 100 deliveries per week and we want to develop more," Kirillov told The National News, as quoted July 19.

He further explained that this robot is very suitable for more remote areas, where couriers may not want to ride motorbikes for one job.

The A-307 robot toured the Barcelona meeting hall, where industry bosses saw the future of self-driving transportation.

The robot was shown to the Saudi transport boss Khalid Alhogail, president of the International Public Transportation Association, and secretary general of the agency, Mohamed Mezghani, who is from Tunisia.

Data from the trial showed the Dubai robot was running on an autonomous basis 97 percent over time, with humans stepping in when the sidewalk was blocked.

A team to repair damaged robots can be delivered if needed, but so far it has not been necessary.

Similar robots to those in Dubai have been operating in the US, South Korea, and Israel.

This device runs on the sidewalk but can handle thousands of road crossings every day and navigate cars and motorbikes, Kirillov said.

"This system is very sophisticated, because it was originally developed to regulate self-driving cars on highways at high speed," he said.

"Then we just moved this system into a smaller body, which might make this robot the most advanced delivery robot ever," he said.

Separately, Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the RTA said Dubai has a "vision to become a world leader in terms of smooth and sustainable mobility".

"Let's continue to work together to create a cleaner, safer, and sustainable future for ourselves and future generations," he said.