Uber has unveiled plans to trial autonomous'sidewalk robots' to deliver food to people's doorsteps. The US ride-hailing giant announced the idea as part of a raft of new features and services for its customers. These included an option for those in certain cities to specifically request a ride in an electric car, which Uber said was part of its global commitment to becoming a zero-emissions mobility platform by 2040. Comfort Electric is now available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Dubai, with more cities to come soon. The sidewalk robot concept is one of two autonomous delivery pilot programs being trialled in California.

Looking ahead to 2017, we've identified four distinct areas where we see new and continuing opportunities. Bots is an area where we see significant growth and opportunity in creating a much more personalized content experience for end users. As AI and cognitive technologies mature, integration into the basic fabric of the Bot will enable the delivery of personalized and informative content and when combined with cognitive communications, the conversation can easily escalate and move from'automation' to'live support,' and enhance the end user experience to deliver/route the conversation via the best and most appropriate channel (text, voice, video, etc.). "Carriers will also have to add new features and services, such as EVS (Enhanced Voices Services), to keep their customer base from switching" Cognitive technology is another area where we see growth and significant developments. On the back of Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) rapidly entering the business/enterprise environment, employees are now utilizing tools to ensure they have instant access to their content, co-workers and customers.