Insider Brief
- Serve Robotics is adding Grubhub to its autonomous delivery network, with robot delivery available from more than 100 merchants in Chicago and nearly 200 in Los Angeles, along with service in Alexandria, Va.
- The expansion comes as Serve launches DoorDash deliveries in Washington, D.C., and San Jose, Calif., and prepares its first Miami micro depot for robot staging, charging, dispatch and maintenance.
- Serve also introduced Moxi 2.0 through Diligent Robotics, previewed its Beacon restaurant pickup device and launched Characters, a conversational-AI advertising product for its delivery robots.
Serve Robotics announced it is adding Grubhub to its autonomous delivery network as the sidewalk robot company expands into new markets and rolls out additional products across its delivery and hospital robotics businesses.
The announcement comes following reports that Uber Eats sold its remaining shares of Serve and the two companies will end their partnerhsip when their contract expres next year.
According to Serve, the partnership will make robot delivery available through Grubhub from more than 100 participating merchants in Chicago and nearly 200 in Los Angeles. Service will also be available in Alexandria, Va., including deliveries from Wonder’s Alexandria location.
Serve said additional restaurants are expected to join over time. Grubhub is a subsidiary of food-delivery company Wonder.
The agreement adds another ordering platform to Serve’s network, allowing its existing robot fleet to handle orders originating through Grubhub alongside its other delivery partners.
Serve also announced expansions in Washington, D.C., and San Jose, Calif., new infrastructure in Miami and updates to Moxi, the hospital robot developed by Diligent Robotics, which Serve acquired earlier this year.
Two More Markets
Serve announced it has launched sidewalk delivery in Washington and San Jose through its partnership with DoorDash, bringing its network to eight major U.S. markets.
Robots have already completed their first month of deliveries in San Jose, Serve’s first Bay Area market. In Washington, the company plans to operate in Dupont Circle and parts of downtown, with Talkin’ Tacos among its initial restaurant partners.
The company is also introducing a smaller operating facility it calls a micro depot. The first is planned for Miami.
The sites are designed to handle robot staging, charging, dispatch and maintenance without requiring a larger operating facility. Serve said the smaller footprint should allow it to add coverage in neighborhoods more quickly and at lower cost.
Moxi 2.0 Rolls Out to Hospitals
Diligent Robotics, which Serve acquired earlier this year, has begun deploying an updated version of its Moxi hospital robot to health systems around the country.
Moxi 2.0 is being introduced at facilities including Endeavor Health Edward Hospital near Chicago, Providence Saint John’s Health Center and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
Serve reported several changes from the previous generation:
- Perception: Processes its surroundings up to 15 times faster.
- Computing: 10 times more onboard compute.
- Battery: Up to 18 hours of operation with 30% faster charging.
- Sensors: Upgraded sensing and storage hardware.
- Autonomy: Improved navigation and decision-making in changing hospital environments.
- World model: A new Diligent Robotics model uses experience collected across the Moxi fleet to improve robot performance.
The new generation builds on Moxi deployments at more than 25 U.S. hospitals.
Beacon Targets Restaurant Pickups
Serve also previewed Beacon, a countertop device intended to make it easier for restaurants to participate in autonomous delivery when their existing technology doesn’t readily support robot pickups.
The cellular-connected device alerts restaurant workers when a Serve robot arrives to collect an order. Serve said it requires only a power connection and doesn’t require restaurants to add a tablet or modify existing back-of-house systems.
Robots Become Advertising Characters
Serve is also expanding its advertising business with Characters, which combines branded robot designs with conversational AI. Instead of simply placing advertising graphics on a delivery robot, brands can create characters that interact with people through a conversational AI system developed with Serve.
Serve and Grubhub introduced the first example, Chomp, a hamburger-themed delivery robot that will be used in social-media and selected customer promotions.
