DoorDash unveils Dot, its autonomous robot built to deliver your food | TechCrunch

"On Tuesday, DoorDash unveiled Dot, a small robot it built in-house that can autonomously drive on roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks to deliver food and small packages at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Dot is designed to look friendly and even cartoonish - painted bright red, with big LED eyes and a mouth that swings open to reveal where it holds your food - though I'd argue it's slightly creepy."

"It might sound odd for a food-delivery app like DoorDash to compete with trillion-dollar companies like Google and Tesla on autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. In San Francisco, Austin, and cities around the country, hailing a robotaxi is already commonplace for many residents. DoorDash argues that a similar reckoning is coming for the food delivery space, and that Dot's size and design are key."

"The stakes are high for this little, cute (terrifying?) robot. Countless startups have flamed out in the AV space, with some even facing penalties and fines when their machines caused harm. Robotaxis have also become a symbol for Silicon Valley's broader automation push - and a target for public anger. Waymos have been vandalized on city streets, and it's easy to imagine Dots becoming the next symbol of that tension."

Dot is a compact autonomous robot built in-house by DoorDash to deliver food and small packages at speeds up to 20 mph on roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks. The robot features a bright red, cartoonish appearance with big LED eyes and a mouth that opens to hold deliveries. Dot is undergoing early testing with partners in the Phoenix metropolitan area and is slated for regional availability by the end of 2025. The robot aims to address first- and last-foot delivery challenges and to operate at higher speeds than sidewalk-only bots, while facing safety, regulatory, and public-acceptance risks experienced in the AV industry.

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