DoorDash is moving from third-party robotics pilots to its own in-house autonomous vehicle.
The company has unveiled “Dot,” a compact, all-electric robot built to handle local deliveries on sidewalks, driveways, bike lanes, and roads. At roughly one-tenth the size of a standard car, Dot can travel up to 20 mph and uses AI to map and optimize its delivery routes.
The first pilot is rolling out through an early access program in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona, with plans to expand to additional markets over time.
“You don’t always need a full-sized car to deliver a tube of toothpaste or pack of diapers,” said Stanley Tang, DoorDash co-founder and head of DoorDash Labs.
“That’s the insight behind Dot. The breakthrough wasn’t just making it autonomous, but in making it reliable and efficient to serve the needs of local businesses and consumers.
“Every design decision, from its compact size to its speed to the sensor suite, came from analyzing billions of deliveries on our global platform and understanding what actually moves the needle for merchants and consumers.”
DoorDash said the robot is part of its global multi-modal delivery strategy, which also includes human drivers, drones, and third-party robotics.
Earlier this year, DoorDash extended a pilot of Coco Robotics’ sidewalk bots from Finland to US cities including Los Angeles and Chicago, while rival Uber Eats has been testing the same units in Miami and Los Angeles.
In addition, DoorDash has been expanding its partnership with Alphabet-owned drone delivery company Wing, most recently trialing Wendy’s deliveries in Christiansburg, Virginia.
For now, human drivers, known as dashers, will continue handling the majority of the company’s millions of daily orders.
The company sees autonomous options like Dot as a way to reduce costs, cut emissions, and allow dashers to focus on higher-value, more complex deliveries.
Alongside Dot, DoorDash announced several other new tech initiatives:
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SmartScale, a weighing and predictive AI tool for restaurants, designed to improve order accuracy. Panera Bread reported a 42% drop in missing item complaints during its test.
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Going Out, a feature that integrates DashPass perks with reservations, in-store rewards, and member-only offers.
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A new partnership with Yelp, allowing diners to order from DoorDash’s network directly through the Yelp platform.
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