Uber Eats and Cartken are rolling out autonomous delivery robots across Miami-Dade County.
Launching first with select merchants in the Dadeland area, AI-powered bots will roam the sidewalks, dropping off groceries, delivering meals, and providing curbside pickup. The program will expand into more Miami-Dade areas and additional cities next year.
"We are excited about how this partnership with Uber will bring the advantages of robotics to food delivery—and ultimately create more connected communities," says Cartken CEO Christian Bersch. "Together, we have the opportunity to reduce traffic congestion, help local merchants to increase delivery capacity, and bring consumers fast, convenient, and emission-free deliveries."
This is Cartken's first formal partnership with an on-demand delivery app beyond college campuses. Uber Eats, however, has been testing the concept in Los Angeles with Serve Robotics and Motional. The LA trials kicked off in May, with Serve robots focusing on shorter trips around West Hollywood, and Motional cars handling long-distance deliveries in Santa Monica.
In California, eligible customers see an option at checkout to have food delivered by autonomous vehicle; Uber didn't specify how it will work in Miami.