ANN ARBOR, MI -- Delivery robots are helping restaurants ship food to customers during the coronavirus crisis.
As restaurants are limited to serving customers through curbside pickup or delivery to limit the spread of COVID-19, Ann Arbor-based Refraction AI is using its Rev-1, a self-driving vehicle that began delivering food from restaurants to customers in late 2019, to deliver food orders. Eight robots are making four times as many runs as they were before the pandemic began, co-founder Matthew Johnson-Roberson said.
“We had no idea how important they would become as restaurants struggle to get through the crisis and we all work to minimize person-to-person contact,” Johnson-Roberson said.
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Ann Arbor’s Miss Kim restaurant was an early participant during the company’s testing phase, before Refraction AI launched a pilot service to a limited number of customers. Tios Mexican Cafe is also completing deliveries through the Rev-1.
“With a robot, they pull up, we drop the food in, close it and it’s on its way. I think it’s probably safer for our staff too, and I like that,” said Ji Hye Kim, owner of Miss Kim.
Johnson-Roberson and Ram Vasudevan, both University of Michigan engineering professors, developed the technology in hopes of creating a new type of delivery service that costs less.
Food delivery companies often charge restaurants up to 30% of the total meal cost, while Refraction charges restaurants 15%, Johnson-Roberson said
The battery-powered robots drive at 15 miles per hour. While the delivery system has not changed, the robots now have ultraviolet sterilizing lights installed in food compartments and each robot is wiped down between deliveries.
Refraction AI’s “tele-ops drivers," who monitor the robots through a wireless data connection, are now able to work from home through a setup that allows them to take control of the Rev-1 if necessary, according to a news release. One team member works on a single robot at a time.
“Building robots is an incredibly physical task,” said Johnson-Roberson in a news release. “You’re always making changes, testing, trying something else. Trying to keep that iteration cycle going remotely is a challenge. But it also forces us to really lean into all this technology that we’ve created."
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May 14, 2020 at 03:03AM
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Robots delivering four times as many food orders in Ann Arbor during coronavirus crisis - mlive.com
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