DoorDash has introduced a new all-electric autonomous delivery robot named “Dot,” which will be available for early access in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona. The robot is designed to navigate bike lanes, roads, sidewalks, and driveways at speeds up to 20 mph. DoorDash states that this technology aims to improve delivery times, reduce the number of cars used for small trips, and lower emissions.

Dot has a very unique design that is one-tenth the size of a car, and is engineered for short local deliveries. Dot also has a suite of sensors and route optimization tuned from billions of deliveries on DoorDash’s platform. Another thing that makes Dot unique is how the cargo bay opens like Pac-Man. The top/front clam-shell door swings in a winde “mouth” shape that shows a single compartment for quick handoffs.

DoorDash has many delivery platforms, like the normal Dasher, or others like drones and sidewalk bots. Dot is also one of those many delivery systems. Dot also supports tools like SmartScale for customer accuracy and eligibility across all methods. All of these methods are made to help with demand spikes and service quality across neighborhoods.

All these new types of delivery can also affect others. Merchants could extend their reach and reliable late-night or peak-time fulfilments without adding car trips, consumers get quicker access to essentials with lower congestion and emissions for small orders, and streets could see less traffic with the small vehicles, and they could also see improved safety.

Dahers should remain the primary fulfillers of orders. Dot will probably deliver more of the short-range deliveries. Dot is meant to be more of an augmentation, not a replacement.

Dot will be rolling out to early access people at places in Arizona, and is expected to continue partnerships with autonomy providers, plus regulatory and community collaboration. The key things to watch are on-time rates, incident rates, consumer satisfaction, and how it affects traffic.

Do you use DoorDash or other delivery platforms? What do you think about a robot delivering your grocieries, food, and other things? For small, urgent items, would you prefer Dot over a car-based deliverer? Let us know in the comments!

Images and Source: DoorDash

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