Uber Eats has announced plans to expand its self-driving meal delivery service to Japan following its introduction in Miami and Fairfax, Virginia. The company will continue its partnership with Cartken, a Google startup, and utilize Mitsubishi Electric for regulatory compliance. The companies aim to debut their Model C pavement delivery robot fleet in Tokyo in March. The automated service was designed to combat local labor shortages while integrating with the traditional human delivery modes, which include bicycles, motorbikes, light vehicles, and walking, according to Shintaro Nakagawa, CEO of Uber Eats Japan.
The mini six-wheeled Model C relies on six cameras and sophisticated AI models for self-navigation, obstacle detection, and remote control operation. In accordance with Japanese regulations and Mitsubishi’s guidance, Cartken fine-tuned the robot. As such, the robot’s speed has been limited to 5.4 km/h (approximately 3.36 mph), noticeably slower than its potential top speed of 6 mph. Furthermore, the carrying capacity has been downsized to 27 liters (approximately 0.95 cubic feet) from 1.5 cubic feet, which may be related to the extra insulation in the cargo compartment. For privacy reasons, Uber Eats has implemented a feature where the faces of individuals filmed by the robots are automatically blurred.
While this will mark Uber Eats’ first robot delivery foray in Japan, Cartken has been active in the country through a collaborative effort with Mitsubishi. Cartken and Mitsubishi have worked with Starbucks, Japanese e-commerce behemoth Rakuten, and supermarket chain Seiyu since early 2022. Additionally, Cartken has partnered with Grubhub in the United States to deliver food autonomously on various university campuses.
Despite Uber Eats not disclosing which Tokyo eateries will use the robotic delivery service, Cartken’s previous experience in the market should ease the transition. However, it’s unlikely that delivery via robots in densely populated areas like Shibuya will be attempted in the near future.
