Earlier this week, DoorDash unveiled its own new autonomous robot called Dot. The company says it's part of its goal to have a "hybrid" model for deliveries going forward. It's the latest sign of a renewed interest in the industry of delivery robots after years of challenges. WIRED's Aarian Marshall joins us to discuss why this matters for all of us, whether we're ordering in or not.
Your 2am Ben & Jerry's might soon be delivered by what looks like the love child of Wall-E and Lightning McQueen. This week, DoorDash unveiled an intentionally adorable delivery robot named Dot, which it's piloting in the Phoenix area, with plans for a wide rollout in the metro area by the year's end. The anthropomorphic food box on wheels is DoorDash's first foray into ground-based autonomous delivery-a frontier many companies have struggled to conquer due to the challenge of navigating chaotic streets without angering pedestrians.