A new delivery bot is coming to L.A., built stronger to survive in these streets
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The rolling robots that deliver groceries and hot meals across Los Angeles are getting an upgrade.Coco Robotics, a UCLA-born startup that’s deployed more than 1,000 bots across the country, unveiled its next-generation machines on Thursday.
The new robots are bigger, tougher and better equipped for autonomy than their predecessors.The company will use them to expand into new markets and increase its presence in Los Angeles, where it makes deliveries through a partnership with DoorDash.
Dubbed Coco 2, the next-gen bots have upgraded cameras and front-facing lidar, a laser-based sensor used in self-driving cars.They will use hardware built by Nvidia, the Santa Clara-based artificial intelligence chip giant.
Business In several Los Angeles neighborhoods, rolling food delivery robots bring customers food and drinks.One company that makes the bots said they will reduce traffic congestion and emissions.Coco co-founder and chief executive Zach Rash said Coco 2 will be able to make deliveries even in conditions unsafe for human drivers.
The robot is fully submersible in case of flooding and is compatible with special snow tires.Early this month, a cute Coco was recorded struggling through flooded roads in L.A.“She’s doing her best!” said the person recording the video.
“She is doing her best, you guys.”Instagram followers cheered the bot on, with one posting, “Go coco, go,” and others calling for someone to help the robot.“We want it to have a lot more reliability in the most extreme conditions where it’s either unsafe or uncomfortable for human drivers to be on the road,” Rash said.“Those are the exact times where everyone wants to order.”The company will ramp up mass production of Coco 2 this summer, Rash said, aiming to produce 1,000 bots each month.
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