Futuristic food delivery: Robots to start delivering food orders on Uber Eats in Japan

Food delivery used to be a luxury for urban dwellers but that is no longer the case. We rely on a network of well-placed delivery agents to get our food to us on time. But now that is changing in some parts of the world. Uber Eats is joining forces with Mitsubishi Electric and Cartken—a robotics venture founded by alumni of Google—to roll out self-driving robots for food delivery in Japan. This isn't just another tech gimmick; it's Uber Eats' first foray into autonomous deliveries outside the American borders, targeting a Tokyo neighborhood. Moreover, this development is not set far in the future as it will happen as early as March this year.

Cartken's brainchild, the "Model C" robot, which probably has more street smarts than your average city dweller, is designed to zip through urban jungles at a brisk walking pace. Perfect for those moments when you're craving sushi but can't bear the thought of human interaction. Mitsubishi Electric is playing the role of the wise overseer, ensuring these robotic couriers play nice with Japan's stringent tech standards and complex regulations.

This collaboration isn't just about slinging pizzas and ramen bowls with futuristic flair; it will also aim to solve the modern dilemmas of labour shortages and the quest for greener, more efficient delivery methods. Uber Eats isn't new to the robot delivery rodeo, having previously rolled out sidewalk robots in Miami and Fairfax, Virginia, among other regions in the US.

 Uber Eats Japan CEO Shintaro Nakagawa said, “I am very pleased to announce a business partnership with Mitsubishi Electric and Cartken to provide robot delivery services. Uber Eats already offers deliveries by bicycle, motorbike, light cargo, and on foot, Autonomous robots will not become widespread overnight, but amid concerns about labor shortages, including the 2024 problem, autonomous robots will be introduced over the medium to long term as an attempt to increase options for delivery methods. We believe that this will continue to grow in importance, and we look forward to providing pleasant surprises and high reliability to Uber Eats customers and member stores by launching robot delivery. I’m here.”

 Shoji Tanaka, Director of Advanced Application Development Center, Mitsubishi Electric Development Division said, “We are very pleased to announce a business partnership between the three companies to provide robot delivery services.Robot delivery is considered to be an effective measure against the logistics crisis that will become more serious in the future, and our company In order to address these social issues, we have been developing a business together with our autonomous robot partner Cartken."

Cartken Co-Founder & COO Anjali Jindal Naik said, “We are thrilled that through our business partnership with Uber Eats and Mitsubishi Electric, Cartken’s automated robot delivery technology will be used in the vibrant city of Tokyo.Food delivery is becoming more accessible for Japanese consumers. We will continue to contribute to the further development of food delivery, making it easy and sustainable."

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