Independent curbside delivery specialist Serve Robotics has just launched its third generation of robots that are faster, smarter, tougher, and half the cost to manufacture. With production now underway, Serve is looking to use these advanced delivery robots as an important part of its plans to expand its services across the United States.
Serve Robotics ($SERV) is a developer of AI-powered street delivery robots that is spinning off as an independent company from Uber in 2021. Investors include NVIDIA, 7-Eleven, and Uber Eats, which has partnered with its former entity to launch a private offering. Robot delivery to select customers near Los Angeles.
That first deal in 2022 included the shipment of up to 2,000 robots before Serve Robotics expanded its partnership with Uber Eats by signing a deal with Shake Shack to provide select customers with robot delivery in Los Angeles.
Recently, Serve's Gen2 robots were deployed for testing with drone delivery operator Wing to test autonomous robot-to-drone delivery. According to the partners, Wing deliveries will be able to be picked up by a Serve delivery robot at the curb or street in front of a participating restaurant, and automatically delivered to the nearest Wing drone AutoLoader before being delivered by air to customers so far. as 6 miles away.
While Serve was testing air delivery with Wing, it also focused on what it does best—autonomous road delivery. Today, the company launched its Gen3 delivery robot, which has seen major improvements both inside and out.
Serve's Gen3 delivery robots are smart, fast, and cheap
According to information shared by Serve Robotics today, its next generation of autonomous roadside robots has seen a complete overhaul in almost every category, all for the better. For example, its cargo area has gained 2 liters (+15%) of additional volume and can now transport four 16-inch pizzas.
The new delivery robot also saw a 67% increase in battery capacity, increasing its all-electric range from 23 miles (10 hours) on the Gen2 to 48 miles (14 hours) on the Gen3 model. The exterior is reinforced to withstand extreme weather from -4 to 113℉ and heavy rain, and its new suspension provides a smooth ride to keep hot food safe on the go.
The all-terrain drivetrain has also seen an upgrade, bringing the delivery robot's top speed from 7mph to 11mph (+60%), with stopping power 40% faster. Improved roadside safety is also the result of faster reaction times and faster decisions, thanks to the development of the large sensor suite of the Gen3 robot, including the NVIDIA Jetson Orin chip and the Ouster REV7 digital LiDAR.
All the improvements are impressive in their own right, but the most important feature of Serve's Gen3 robot is the fact that it has implemented all these improvements while cutting production costs in half. The founder and CEO of Serve Robotics, Dr. Ali Kashani elaborated:
Producing a smart robot that can drive faster and further while using 5 times the AI and cutting costs in half is a real feat of engineering. I am proud of what our team has accomplished with our third-generation robot, which represents the culmination of years of tireless effort. Our new robot makes Serve much further down the cost curve and ahead of the competition as we roll out one of the largest private jets in the country in the coming months.
Serve shares that Gen3 robots are already being assembled in North America with the help of contract manufacturer Magna International. The first rollout will include 2,000 autonomous robots in new cities by 2025 through Serve's ongoing partnership with Uber Eats. That will start in Los Angeles and a “new metro market” that has yet to be shared, but Serve intends to continue expanding its fleet of delivery robots across the US one day.
You can see more of the Gen3 robot in the Serve video below:
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