The last time we checked in at Serve Robotics, the Uber-backed company had partnered with Alphabet's Wing for a robot-to-drone delivery service in Dallas. That was with Serve's Gen2 bot, but a faster, smarter and more robust model has just launched.
The third-generation delivery robot from Serve Robotics comes with five times more processing power than before courtesy of NVIDIA's Jetson Orin module, which is able to make "ultra-fast decisions" with the help of the new Ouster REV7 LiDAR up top plus "major upgrades to the robot's sensor suite."
The hardware is complemented by the company's latest and greatest AI architecture. This should see faster execution of autonomous navigation decisions, as well as improved reaction times for collision avoidance and emergency braking while out on delivery.
This is probably just as well given a 60% increase in motor-driven top speed to 11 mph (4.9 m/s). Larger wheels, built-in suspension and boosted water resistance have been cooked in too – which "expands the robot's ability to maneuver confidently in a wider range of weather conditions."
The bigger bot also boasts 67% more battery capacity than the previous generation, for up to 14 hours of per-charge operation or 48 miles (77 km) of Level 4 autonomous operation before needing to be plugged in. And rounding out the key improvements is a 15% increase in cargo capacity, which is reckoned enough for four 16-inch pizzas instead of the Gen2's four 14 inchers.
"Producing a cutting-edge robot that can drive faster and further while running 5 times more AI and slashing costs by half is a true engineering feat," said Serve's CEO and co-founder, Dr. Ali Kashani. "I am proud of what our team has accomplished with our third-generation robot, which represents the culmination of years of relentless effort. Our new robot puts Serve significantly down the cost curve and ahead of the competition as we roll out one of the largest autonomous fleets in the country in the coming months."
Serve says that the much-improved delivery bot will support its expansion plans across the US. That will start with thousands of Gen3 delivery bots being deployed on the Uber Eats platform from next year. The video below has more.
Source: Serve Robotics