From self-driving machines that deliver parcels to anti-anxiety pillows which can'breathe', robots are front and center at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week - as they seek to wheel themselves in every aspect of daily life. CES is an annual tech conference held in Las Vegas. More than 100,000 people are attending this year - the first time the show has been at full capacity since the Covid 19 pandemic. So far this week, Ottonomy has unveiled a'Yeti' with a self-dispensing feature that eliminates the need for a human to be present to collect deliveries. Yukai Engineering, a repeat exhibitor at the event, also showcased a pillow robot that'breathes' when hugged to help reduce the user's anxiety - and it claims to work in just five minutes. Meanwhile, the new chirping Ebo X wants to be a part of the family, providing security and health warnings as well as helping owners speak to loved ones.

Robot delivery firm Ottonomy has unveiled a new Ottobot model called the Yeti with a new automated package delivery mechanism. That could allow it to do last mile drop-offs directly to a locker or remove the need for someone to receive a package, TechCrunch has reported. As shown at the end of Ottonomy's latest video, the Yeti uses a simple tilting mechanism and rollers to dispense the packages. That would allow it to drop packages onto a doorstep or transfer them to a locker, making it fully independent from humans. It may also allow for easy returns, as TechCrunch noted.

Pittsburgh International Airport is teaming up with tech startup Ottonomy and its fully autonomous delivery robot – Ottobot – for a pilot project offering select passengers a contactless delivery system. Ottonomy is partnering with PIT's xBridge Innovation Center, the airport's tech proving ground for technologies and startups that provide solutions for the industry and beyond. Drawing from the region's strong innovation economy, the airport is a proof-of-concept site for technologies in a real-world operating environment as well as a pilot site for companies' first deployments. Volunteer customers will be able to order and receive beverages at designated drop-off points in PIT's Airside Terminal. Ottobot from Ottonomy is the first fully autonomous robot for deliveries inside airports and is currently deployed at multiple airports in the USA and Europe.

Ottonomy.IO has announced the close of their seed funding round of $3.3 million bringing its total funding to date to $4.9M; supporting the scale of Ottobots for fully autonomous airport, retail and restaurant deliveries. The funding round is led by Pi Ventures who back deep tech startups. Connetic Ventures and Branded Hospitality Ventures and the Founder & CEO of Addverb Technologies, Sangeet Kumar, also joined this round; making the group a dynamic mix from retail, food and robotics industry investors for Ottonomy's seed round. "Last mile delivery is the least productive, yet the most expensive part of the delivery chain. There is a strong need for automation, which Ottonomy fulfills with Ottobots," says Roopan Aulakh, Managing Director from pi Ventures.