Dubai Sustainable City has launched a delivery robot pilot programme promising waiting times of under 30 minutes.
Starting this month, three autonomous on-demand delivery robots will begin their trial within the community, providing delivery services from all restaurants and shops within the plaza area to residents.
The programme, launched in collaboration with Dubai Future Labs and Lyve Global, aims to enhance safety, cleanliness and cost-efficiency while reducing traffic, carbon emissions, and waiting times, state news agency Wam reported.
These robots will navigate the pavements safely and independently, locating charging stations when needed and eliminating the need for human intervention.
It is not the first such initiative in the emirate.
Last year, after a successful trial during Expo2020, seven “talabot” robots were launched in Dubai Silicon Oasis to serve about 300 homes.
The project was part of a three-month pilot programme by online food ordering company Talabat, the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority and the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority to improve options for delivery services.
Groceries, fast food and online shopping are all viable options to put the automated transport to use and help cut emissions for last-mile deliveries.
But globally, it is a slightly different picture. Amazon shut down tests of its home delivery robot in October 2022 amid slowing sales growth.
The e-commerce company instead appears to be investing in drone deliveries, with Prime Air hoping to launch the service in a third US state while expanding in Italy and the UK by the end of 2024.
Robots in restaurants and retail are also becoming increasingly popular.
Analysts at Statista, a German company specialising in market and consumer data, forecast spending on robotics is expected to soar to $210 billion by 2025 as more nations invest in autonomous machines.