Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Business

Uber Eats starts robot deliveries in Tokyo

“Caution: robot!” chirps the green self-driving delivery vehicle as it trundles down the street to a pork cutlet restaurant in Tokyo to pick up a meal,

Japan changed traffic laws last year to allow robot deliveries
Japan changed traffic laws last year to allow robot deliveries - Copyright AFP Richard A. Brooks
Japan changed traffic laws last year to allow robot deliveries - Copyright AFP Richard A. Brooks
Katie Forster

“Caution: robot!” chirps the green self-driving delivery vehicle as it trundles down the street to a pork cutlet restaurant in Tokyo to pick up a meal ordered on Uber Eats.

Starting Wednesday, robot deliveries will be offered in a small area of the city by the US-based food app, which hopes to eventually roll out the service more widely in Japan.

The country, facing growing labour shortages, changed traffic laws last year to allow delivery robots on public streets, and other companies including Panasonic are also trialling cute new machines to transport goods.

Uber Eats’ boxy robots have square headlights for eyes and three wheels on each side to navigate kerbs as they calculate routes on their own, using sensors to avoid pedestrians and other obstacles.

Moving at up to 5.4 kilometres an hour (3.4 mph) and with flashing lights around the lid, there’s a human operator on standby in case of trouble.

Like self-driving delivery services launched by the company in North America, the Tokyo robots will be limited in scope at first, said Uber Eats executive Alvin Oo.

App users must wait outside for the robot to arrive, but one day it could come to their door, he told AFP on Tuesday.

“Going all the way to the office floor, to the exact apartment… could be useful in somewhere like high-rise Tokyo,” said Oo, market operations director at Uber Eats Japan.

The service could also one day come to rural areas, where many residents are elderly and drivers are scarce, he added.

Current drivers “do not need to worry”, Oo said, because “even in five, 10 years’ time, there will always be work for the human delivery partners on the platform”.

Uber Eats and similar apps faced strikes last month, and rideshare giant Uber has long been criticised for dodging minimum wage and holiday pay rules by arguing its workers are not employees but independent contractors.

The Uber Eats robots, developed with Mitsubishi Electric and US start-up Cartken, will deliver food from just a few restaurants in the busy Nihonbashi district at first. 

Users cannot choose robot delivery, and if it is selected for them they can accept or decline the offer.

At a demonstration on Tuesday, the robot nearly collided with a pedestrian, but also attracted lots of attention.

It’s “so cute, so eye-catching”, said passer-by Akemi Hayakawa. “I thought it might bump into people’s feet, but people give way to it,” the 60-year-old said.

“Japan has an ageing, dwindling population, with a serious labour shortage. So this is a very good idea for Japan too.”

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Business

Most Asian markets fell Monday as countries fought to hammer out trade deals days before Donald Trump's tariff deadline.

Tech & Science

Masking, distancing and quarantines keep chimpanzees safe from human disease, a new study shows.

Business

Apple last month announced changes to its App Store payment rules in Europe to avoid steep new daily fines.

World

While the heftiest of Donald Trump's tariffs on Vietnam have been avoided, there are worries about the effect of the deal with regard to...