Robotics Companies Land $3.5 Billion to Improve Food Delivery

Robotics companies focused on food delivery have gotten roughly $3.5 billion in investments since 2019, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Monday (July 21), citing PitchBook data.

That funding has helped further advances like technology similar to driverless cars that lets food delivery robots “see” the terrain they’re traveling, and physical artificial intelligence to better power drones, the report said.

“We’re constantly hearing that these restaurants are deeply unhappy with the status quo,” said Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, CEO of drone delivery company Zipline, per the report.

While the permitting process to use drones and robots in a city is difficult, the industry’s proponents say their technology can make food delivery more economical, according to the report. Robot delivery workers won’t ask for tips and don’t need to be paid.

Meanwhile, AI-powered robots are not only delivering restaurant food; they’re also serving food, cooking meals and mixing cocktails.

“Robots are taking more active roles in both customer-facing and back-kitchen tasks, as restaurants face a perfect storm of challenges that include rising labor and food costs, persistent workforce shortages, and growing consumer demand for efficient service,” PYMNTS reported July 9.

The restaurant robot industry is expected to surpass $10 billion by 2030, fueled by deployment across applications such as delivery, order-taking and table service.

Uber Eats launched autonomous delivery robots developed by Serve Robotics in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area in April. The rollout is part of Serve’s plan to deploy 2,000 AI-powered delivery robots in the United States this year.

In January, South Korean giant LG Electronics acquired a 51% stake in Bear Robotics, a Silicon Valley company that makes AI-driven autonomous service robots.

Also in January, Miso Robotics launched its next-generation Flippy Fry Station robot for restaurants. It can cook French fries, onion rings, chicken, tacos and other fried items.

Richtech Robotics’ Adam, a barista and bartender robot, surpassed 16,000 drinks served at Clouffee & Tea in Las Vegas in June. The robot’s vision technology can monitor how much liquid is poured into cups and adjust pour angle and flow rate as necessary.

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