In the near future, thousands of four-wheeled robots will deliver salads, burritos, and other food orders submitted through Uber Eats.
2,000 self-driving bots will be released in key US cities beginning in 2026, according to a Tuesday announcement from Serve, a robotics startup that has been collaborating with the delivery industry giant since 2021.
Uber Eats Prepares for 2,000 Self-Driving Bots
The tiny AI-powered vehicles can travel 25 miles while carrying up to 50 pounds of cargo, which according to Serve is plenty for dozens of deliveries every day.
Customers will receive contact-free deliveries thanks to the cooperation.
The robot arrives at its destination, but it cannot be opened without the customer’s secret passcode, which is provided.
Once inside, the container’s lid opens, letting them remove their order and savor the cuisine without having to deal with a human driver.
In California, Uber and Serve started testing sidewalk robots as part of Uber’s stated global goal of having a zero-emissions mobility platform by the year 2040.
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The Nvidia-backed business will now use Uber’s infrastructure to roll out up to 2,000 of its adorable tiny bots in various US markets.
The collaboration is expected to continue through the start of 2026. This growth not only demonstrates Uber’s continued dedication to autonomy as well as Serve’s objective of mass-commercializing robotics for autonomous delivery.
Uber said that starting in Phoenix later this year, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles would be accessible for ride-hail and delivery on Uber’s network.
Moreover, Uber and Motional are collaborating to deliver food in Santa Monica using Motional’s self-driving Hyundai IONIQ 5s.
The collaboration between Serve and Uber started as a test in West Hollywood a year ago.
Since then, more than 200 restaurants in West Hollywood, Hollywood, and Fairfax are now taking part in Serve’s robotic deliveries with Uber, which have increased by more than 30% month over month.
Now starting at 10 am every day, the bots are in operation. according to Ali Kashani, co-founder and CEO of Serve, from 7 pm to 9 pm.
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