Autonomous delivery operator in Ann Arbor Michigan designs robot to operate on road instead of sidewalk.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
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Summary Information
As the food delivery market grows, new robotic delivery options are being development to meet the demand for cheap, reliant deliveries. Many robotic deployers have designed their machines to use the sidewalk as their travel lane. By using the sidewalk, the robots are restricted to walking speeds (4 m/hr) and must follow the sidewalk regulations of each municipality the operate in. Other robot deployers, such as Refraction AI, are developing delivery machines that are designed to operate in bike lanes and share lanes with vehicles. At a top speed of 12 mi/hr, the Refraction AI machine is designed to stop within 5 ft when braked, compared to a full-size vehicle which stops in 45 ft while travel at 30 mi/hr. Rev-1 models are being piloted in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Market factors that are attractive to deployers:
- College students who are quick adopters of new technology
- Density of restaurants
- States with roust AV and e-bike regulation.
Why Refraction AI operates on the street instead of sidewalk:
- Less regulatory and technical challenges than sidewalk which requires complying to regulation of each municipality
- Their speed (12 m/hr) and weight (100 lbs) meet classifications of a Class 2 E-Bike so they can legally use bike lane or road lane in most states.
