Tech Uber Eats Japan launching robot deliveries

Uber Eats is set to introduce autonomous food delivery robots to the streets of Tokyo, marking its first international expansion of robotic food delivery. This initiative, scheduled to begin by the end of March, is a result of a collaboration between Uber Eats, robotics startup Cartken, and Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Electric. Japan will be the first international site for Uber Eats' autonomous delivery operations, which are limited to a few cities in the United States. Cartken's Model C robots, equipped with AI and computer vision technologies, supervised by Mitsubishi Electric, will navigate the sidewalks of Tokyo.

The sidewalk-traversing robots are designed to avoid obstacles, yield to pedestrians, and stop at traffic lights. They travel roughly the same speed as a walking adult and are fitted with a cargo bin designed to keep food at an appropriate temperature during transport. Uber Eats and Cartken first partnered to launch autonomous robot delivery services in parts of Miami in 2022 and expanded robot delivery to Fairfax, Virginia, last year.

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