Trial Robot Delivery Service Coming To Nearby Redwood City

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA – Earlier last week city officials in Redwood City approved a pilot program allowing robots to deliver groceries and restaurant meals to homes and businesses.

The service, which will be launched by Starship Technologies Inc. with 20 robots, will begin next month and last for nine months.

Each robot can carry about three grocery bags and each uses nine onboard cameras to navigate. The robots travel only four miles per hour and are controlled by a person when crossing intersections, according to city
officials.

The robots will serve a five-mile radius from their docking station. Officials with Starship Technologies plan to have two docking stations in the city.

Customers can establish their delivery times, track their items while in transit on the mobile application at all times, and securely retrieve their items with their unique code that opens the robot.

In a presentation to the Council, Starship Technologies representatives said they approached Redwood City as one of the launch locations due to the area's acceptance of new technologies, its bustling downtown, and the high rate of use of delivery services such as Munchery and Door Dash.

"We're excited that Starship Technologies chose Redwood City for this innovative autonomous robot program," said Mayor John Seybert. "This has strong potential to reduce traffic in Redwood City and allow for some restaurants and businesses to serve a greater number of customers."

The service is also operating in many United Kingdom cities and also in Germany. The company is launching a similar but smaller pilot program in Washington D.C., according to Redwood City officials.

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--Bay City News and Redwood City contributed to this post/Image courtesy of City of Redwood City