Serve Robotics, the autonomous sidewalk delivery robot company spun out of Uber, is set to strengthen its collaboration with Uber Eats. The startup, backed by Nvidia, will now roll out up to 2,000 of its adorable robots through Uber’s platform in several markets across the United States. The partnership is scheduled to continue until early 2026, indicating both Serve’s commitment to mass commercialization of autonomous delivery robotics and Uber’s dedication to advancing autonomy in its services.

The initial partnership between Serve and Uber began as a pilot program in West Hollywood a year ago. Since then, the robotic deliveries facilitated by Uber have experienced a remarkable growth rate of over 30% month-over-month. Currently, more than 200 restaurants in West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Fairfax are participating in Serve’s delivery service. Serve’s CEO and co-founder, Ali Kashani, stated that the robots now operate daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Kashani expressed optimism about the continuous growth of Serve’s presence on Uber Eats, revealing plans to expand the fleet of 100 robots in Los Angeles as delivery volume and coverage on Uber’s platform increase. The fleet is shared among Serve’s various partners, including 7-Eleven, which recently introduced robotic sidewalk delivery in LA. Although the specific markets for the expanded Uber partnership were not disclosed, Serve is considering San Jose, Dallas, and Vancouver as potential locations. The company has also completed successful pilot programs with Walmart in Arkansas and Pizza Hut in Vancouver.

While the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, Serve operates on a delivery-as-a-service business model, where they receive payment upon completing each delivery. Serve’s sidewalk robots boast Level 4 autonomy, as defined by the Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE). This means that the robots can handle all driving aspects in specific conditions without human intervention. In cases where the robots encounter challenging scenarios such as police tape or construction, they halt and request remote supervisors to intervene. Serve’s robots possess the ability to reroute when facing obstacles or obstructions.

Supervisors also assist with street crossings, but Serve’s robots are equipped to predict driver inattention and avoid collisions independently. Kashani highlighted the limitations of remote supervisors in such situations due to the rapid appearance of cars, network latency, and human reaction time.

The expanded partnership between Serve Robotics and Uber Eats underscores their joint commitment to revolutionizing the future of autonomous deliveries and represents a significant step toward widespread adoption of robotic technologies in the industry.

By Impact Lab