Uber is getting back into the robotaxi game, only this time it's tapping a third party to handle the self-driving tech. Motional, the Aptiv-Hyundai joint venture commercializing self-driving vehicle tech, will put its robotaxis on the Uber network later this year as part of a 10-year operating agreement that will eventually roll out to major cities across North America. The deal comes a year after the two companies struck a partnership to test autonomous delivery in Santa Monica, California using Motional's autonomous vehicles. As with the delivery pilot, the new agreement will feature Motional's all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 5-based autonomous vehicles. Uber and Motional have not disclosed where it will launch first.

Examples of these applications include public security, remote sensing, surveillance, photography, and delivery of goods [2]. The continual growth of e-commerce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has revolutionized the way customers acquire goods and services [3]. The ubiquity of drones in the sky has prompted an increasing interest of several e-commerce companies such as UPS, Flytrex, and Amazon Prime Air to use drones for package delivery [4]. Several countries have used drones for safe and contactless deliveries during the pandemic lockdowns [5]. Drone delivery is highly desired in urban areas to reduce delivery time and traffic congestion on roads by utilizing urban airspace [6]. The recent developments in drone technology show that drones can carry multiple packages [7]. Therefore, a drone can serve more than one customer in one trip.

Autonomous vehicles (AV) play an increasingly important role in food and parcel deliveries. In early December, Silicon Valley-based startup Nuro announced that it was launching the first commercial autonomous delivery in California. Partnering with 7-Eleven, the company provides the service for residents of Mountain View, where the business is located. According to a blog post from Nuro's co-founder Zhu Jiajun, customers can access the autonomous delivery through 7-Eleven's 7NOW delivery app. Nuro currently offers the service with its Prius vehicles in fully autonomous mode, expecting to replace them with its R2 autonomous cars later.

Delivery robots – just a few years ago, the stuff of pure science fiction – are now very much a reality and quickly becoming a part of everyday life for many of us. In fact, I will usually come across five or six when I go for an evening jog in my hometown of Milton Keynes, England! These particular ones belong to Starship, a company that deployed its first autonomous delivery bots just three years ago and now operates a fleet of over a thousand, in several locations in the UK, USA, and very soon in mainland Europe too. I spoke to their CEO, Alastair Westgarth, who told me that his robots had traveled a total of 3.6 million kilometers to make 2 million deliveries. Powered by machine learning algorithms, they are constantly getting smarter, meaning they become more efficient as well as safer. Of these journeys, the vast majority are completed fully autonomously; however, human operators are always ready to step in when needed.

Gatik, a Palo Alto and Toronto based autonomous technology company deploying autonomous vehicles for B2B short-haul middle-mile logistics, announced today it has raised $25 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by Wittington Ventures and Innovation Endeavors with participation from FM Capital and Intact Ventures. Existing investors like Dynamo Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, AngelPad and others participated as well. Gatik's investors bring a wealth of deep experience in automotive, artificial intelligence and supply chain, making them a strong strategic fit for the company's rapid growth. Gatik will use the funding to further expand its operations across North America, its team size in Silicon Valley and growing presence in Canada.

As consumers demand more convenient fulfillment while technology improves and costs fall, the prospect for autonomous delivery is growing. The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic could create a perfect storm of factors that finally make things like drones and delivery robots ripe for adoption. "The pandemic has increased the viability of autonomous delivery," says Michael Ramsey, vice president and analyst who covers the automotive industry and smart mobility at Gartner. "It's one more box that they can check for in saying'this makes sense.'" No one is certain what the "new normal" will look like, but many agree that greater social distancing could be a part of our future.

According to Business Insider, more than 50% of the total costs for delivering goods is attributable to what is known as "last mile delivery" – the point at which the package finally arrives at the buyer's door. In a recent study by Global Industry Analysts, the last mile delivery market worldwide is expected to reach over $35 Billion by 2025. Last mile delivery is the most expensive and time-consuming part of the shipping process, either due to lack of density and long distances in rural areas or traffic congestion in urban ones. The idea of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – or drones – for last mile delivery is gaining popularity. The use of drones to deliver parcels has the potential to significantly decrease delivery costs – no driver, truck or congestion – and expand coverage areas.

Most people are probably never going to own a Segway, but the company is aiming to have more people interact with its products. At CES 2019, Segway-Ninebot will debut its first ever autonomous delivery robot designed to perform the final leg like of transporting packages. It's also showing off the Model Max, its next generation of shared scooter designed to get people around the city (or be ditched on the sidewalk). The Model Max scooter is right in Segway-Ninebot's wheelhouse, seeing as the company already makes electric scooters that are used by popular scooter-sharing services. The next-generation scooter will reportedly be more weather resistant than previous models, as well as more reliable and safe -- a nice assurance after scooter sharing firm Lime recalled thousands of Segway scooters believed to be at risk of bursting into flames while charging.

Grocery store giant Kroger just announced that its autonomous vehicle delivery service is officially going driverless, thanks to a partnership with self-driving car startup Nuro. Earlier this year, the supermarket chain announced it will work with Nuro to launch a driverless delivery service in Scottsdale, Arizona. The program used a fleet of Toyota Priuses, equipped with sensors and AI equipment, and staffed by safety drivers. Now Nuro is confident enough to fulfill orders without the human driver. According to a blog post, the company has been working on perfecting the design of an "unmanned on-road vehicle" called the R1.

When picturing the autonomous delivery services of the near-future, you'll likely imagine drones buzzing overhead with packages in tow. But some ground-based robots are making a push into this area too, like the six-wheeled delivery droid recently dispatched to a customer's home with a food order onboard.