Michele StuevenJust when you thought you were getting used to the scooter invasion, Postmates is introducing Serve, an autonomous delivery rover that will begin navigating the sidewalks of L.A. in 2019 as a first-of-its-kind food delivery system.
Looking like a cross between R2D2 and a shopping cart, the rover has enough room for 50 pounds of burgers, burritos and drinks and enough of a charge to travel 30 miles. They’re all electric with zero emissions and were designed and developed in-house by the Postmates team over the past two years. The goal is to reduce the delivery vehicle gridlock in already congested neighborhoods.
Serve; Credit: Postmates
The company developed Serve with 360-degree visibility of its surroundings, as well as a visual language to communicate with people on the sidewalk. The rovers have lighting in the eyes and a light ring on top to signal movement, such as a change in direction. They're built with security mechanisms and an advanced set of Velodyne Lidar sensors to deter theft.
The framework of operation for 2019 is currently being finalized with the Mayor’s Office and the City of Los Angeles, and plans are to start rolling out Serve in the next 12 months in key cities across the United States.
More info at serve.postmates.com.
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