Uber launches robot food delivery service in Jersey City

Uber is expanding its use of robots to deliver food.This time, customers on the East Coast are getting a taste of the technology for the first time.Starting this week, customers in Jersey City, New Jersey, will have their orders delivered by Avride autonomous robots.

The companies, which joined forces in 2024, first launched the delivery robots for Uber Eats customers in Dallas and Austin, Texas, marking a major milestone for the entire industry that’s been rapidly trying to make advancements in self-driving technology.Uber Eats customers who order from participating restaurants will be able to choose if they want their meal delivered by Avride robot or a traditional courier before confirming their order.When it initially launches, customers will be able to receive robot deliveries throughout downtown Jersey City between 11 a.m.

to 9 p.m., though the company plans to expand its operating territory.Its foray into the East Coast market marks the latest phase of Uber’s multiyear strategic partnership with Avride, which has been working to bring delivery robots and autonomous vehicles to Uber and Uber Eats. A growing list of companies, from tech giants like Google’s Waymo to automakers like Tesla, are racing to make autonomous driving a reality by investing heavily in developing their own self-driving technology.

But as companies heavily invested in their own operations, Uber dumped its program for an entirely new strategy. In 2020, it sold its autonomous vehicle research division, Uber Advanced Technologies Group, to self-driving car startup Aurora and created partnerships with driverless car companies to bring the technology to market and co-brand their efforts.“Progress needs a partner.For autonomous vehicles, that partner is Uber.

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