The autonomous sidewalk delivery company, Serve Robotics, has announced the deployment of its next-generation delivery robots, becoming the first autonomous vehicle company to complete commercial deliveries at Level 4 autonomy.
The achievement is the result of nearly five years of work by the Serve Robotics team and represents a major step forward for the autonomous vehicle industry, significantly lowering the barriers for autonomous delivery at scale.
The Level 4 autonomy means the Serve Robotics’ latest generation of robots are able to operate routinely without human intervention and can rely on their onboard capabilities to ensure safe operation. The robots are equipped with an extensive array of technologies that ensure the highest degree of safety by utilizing multiple layers of redundant systems for critical navigation functions. This includes multiple sensor modalities – active sensors such as lidar and ultrasonics and passive sensors such as cameras – to navigate safely on busy city sidewalks.
Serve Robotics’ achievement required the development of a wide range of market-leading capabilities, such as automatic emergency braking, vehicle collision avoidance, and fail-safe mechanical braking.
“I’m proud that Serve Robotics has achieved Level 4 autonomy, which further enhances public safety by significantly reducing the potential for human error. This milestone begins to unlock the full potential of robotic delivery,” said Serve Robotics co-founder and CEO Dr. Ali Kashani. “This technical and commercial milestone is an achievement for the entire AV industry and accelerates our mission to make delivery more accessible and sustainable.”
Serve Robotics has completed tens of thousands of deliveries in LA. Its fleet of next-generation robots will power the company’s expansion into additional geographies as it rolls out delivery service for Uber Eats and other partners in 2022.
