is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State.
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A new company aims to take the idea of sidewalk delivery robots and supersize it.
Los Angeles-based Robomart unveiled its new delivery robot Monday, with the goal of making “on‑demand delivery work economically.” The level-four autonomous vehicle is the size of a shuttle bus and can carry up to 500 lbs of payload. With no space for a human driver, the company’s RM5 vehicle is comprised of 10 individual lockers for customer orders, allowing it to make multiple deliveries on a single run.
“Robomart exists to deliver autonomy in a way that finally makes on‑demand delivery work economically,” said Emad Suhail Rahim, co‑founder and chief strategy officer of Robomart, in a press release. “With RM5, retailers get a profitable channel for on-demand delivery and consumers get everyday essentials delivered at affordable prices. That’s the future we’re building—an autonomous Instacart that’s actually profitable.”
Like Instacart or Uber Eats, the company aims to launch its own app where customers can browse options from a variety of retailers, restaurants, and grocery stores. And Robomarts says customers will only have to pay a flat delivery rate of $3 per order, promising “no markups, no service fees, no tips.”
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1 / 4 The RM5 vehicle is relatively unique among autonomous vehicles today. Image: Robomart
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