Robots will travel within a three-kilometre radius of the Cedre Shopping Centre starting point to ensure a speedy 15-minute delivery time. Photo: Wam
Robots will travel within a three-kilometre radius of the Cedre Shopping Centre starting point to ensure a speedy 15-minute delivery time. Photo: Wam
Robots will travel within a three-kilometre radius of the Cedre Shopping Centre starting point to ensure a speedy 15-minute delivery time. Photo: Wam
Robots will travel within a three-kilometre radius of the Cedre Shopping Centre starting point to ensure a speedy 15-minute delivery time. Photo: Wam

Dubai launches food delivery robots in pilot programme


  • English
  • Arabic

Food delivery robots will soon take to the streets of a community in Dubai as part of a new pilot programme.

Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority and online food ordering company Talabat have joined forces to launch the food delivery robots, called talabots, in Dubai Silicon Oasis, news agency Wam reported on Wednesday.

Three delivery robots will serve the residents of Cedre Villas, a gated community in Dubai Silicon Oasis.

Robots will travel within a three-kilometre radius of the Cedre Shopping Centre starting point to ensure a speedy 15-minute delivery time.

The robots come without any facial recognition detection and safeguard people's identities by blurring their faces.

They are fitted with built-in sensors and algorithms that can intelligently gauge surroundings and detect barriers in their pathway, keeping a safe distance from small children and pets.

Robots will transport orders from the nearest restaurant to homes in the Cedre Villas community and will meet customers at their doorsteps.

Customers will be able to track the robots' journey and will receive notifications through the Talabat app when they arrive at their property. Once the robot arrives, customers can unlock the secure compartment by following the steps provided on the app.

The initiative aims to enhance sustainable last-mile delivery options in the UAE and aligns with Dubai's goal of switching 25 per cent of all transport to smart and driverless modes by 2030.

Talabat first introduced the robots at Expo 2020 Dubai, as it seeks to meet these sustainable last-mile delivery goals.

The robots transported food from Talabat's cloud kitchen to customers at the Expo site.

Talabat is present in nine countries in the region and works with more than 25,000 brands and almost 50,000 of these brands' branches.

The food delivery company recently laid out an ambitious strategy to expand UAE operations by increasing the number of riders to 30,000 by the end of the year, up from 15,000 currently, and to cut down delivery times to 15 minutes.

How food delivery robots work

Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mountain%20Boy
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zainab%20Shaheen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Naser%20Al%20Messabi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

Profile box

Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Updated: February 15, 2023, 3:27 PM`