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CBC
16 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Food delivery robots in Markham test appetite for high-tech takeout
The next time you order takeout in Markham, Ont., it could get dropped off by a robot and its human companion. A fleet of orange food delivery machines is being tested as part of a pilot project led by Skip, formerly known as SkipTheDishes, and Real Life Robotics, an automation company under the University of Waterloo's startup incubator called Velocity. The project is the first municipally approved sidewalk delivery operation in the country, and it's already had hundreds of successful orders, says Cameron Waite, CEO of Real Life Robotics. "That's a big deal for us. It's a big deal for Canada … the opportunity is potentially huge," Waite told CBC Toronto. It's one of the latest initiatives across Ontario and beyond that's testing the viability of integrating more automation into people's daily lives. Waite says the three-month pilot aims to decipher whether there's an appetite for robot delivery options in urban environments, and what that could look like. The order process is simple. If a customer orders through the Skip app and is located in the piloting area, they'll be given an option to select robot delivery. From there the process is automated. The "cooler on wheels" is programmed to go to the restaurant, collect the order and drop it off with the customers, Waite says. To get the order, the buyer will scan a QR code and enter their password to unlock the robot. The machines are equipped with sensors that give them spatial awareness and, for now, each one is accompanied by a human guide responsible for studying its interactions with pedestrians and users. Markham is "proud to be at the forefront of smart mobility innovation," the city told Radio-Canada in a statement. "This initiative provides a real-world testing environment for Ontario-based companies to pilot next-generation transportation technologies," the statement says. Concerns about safety and comfort Not every city or everyone is excited about the prospect of robot delivery options. In December 2021, Toronto banned the use of micro-utility devices, which includes food delivery robots, on its sidewalks and bike lanes, in response to concerns about maintaining accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities. While safety might be manageable, as these kinds of robots travel at low speeds, a bigger issue is comfort and how robots share space with pedestrians, says Bilal Farooq, an associate professor in transportation engineering at Toronto Metropolitan University. "They need to have not just perception, but they should have social awareness of what other pedestrians are doing," he said. For example, Farooq says, the robots should be able to sense whether there are multiple people walking toward it and know to travel around them, not through them. That kind of awareness is something currently being discussed in studies, he says. "These sort of pilots are a good way to test and apply that research," Farooq said. Impacts on employment 'going to happen,' prof says Another concern is whether these robots will get so popular that they start to replace workers. Automation has been happening over the last few centuries and it's likely to impact food delivery eventually, says Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "It seems to me that it's going to happen," Holzer said. "It's not hard to envision that robots will do this more cheaply and more cost-effectively." When asked about the decision to opt for robots instead of people, Waite said the pilot is about learning what the consumer prefers. "The idea here is to figure out, 'Is there value in having an additional option for deliveries in areas like this?" he said. According to a new release by the University of Waterloo
CTV News
5 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Autonomous robots take to GTA sidewalks in food delivery pilot
John Vennavally-Rao has the story of a three-month pilot program in Markham, Ont. involving four robots delivering takeout to hungry customers. Autonomous delivery robots are rolling along sidewalks in Markham, Ont., turning heads and dropping off food as part of a new pilot project that could pave the way for expansion across the country. The three-month project involves four delivery bots equipped with insulated compartments that can carry nearly 60 kilograms of food. The bots are outfitted with a screen that displays friendly facial expressions, designed to navigate sidewalks and deliver meals within a two-kilometre radius of participating restaurants. 'Kids have no hesitation. They go up to the robot. We've seen kids hug the robot. They see it like a friendly community member,' said Sharif Virani, head of growth at Real Life Robotics. The Waterloo, Ont.-based company has partnered up with Skip, formerly known as Skip The Dishes, for the project. Isaac Muriuki reacted after watching a robot pass by on the sidewalk, 'I think they're cool to be honest, and I like to see technology progress like this.' And when it comes to sidewalk sharing? 'I mean, as long as there aren't like 50 of them blocking the sidewalk, then no problem,' said Muriuki. Food delivery robot pilot project Four delivery bots are now taking food from restaurants to customers in Markam, Ont. (CTV News) The robots operate daily between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m., rain or shine. Customers who live in the pilot area can now select robot delivery when placing orders from certain local restaurants on the Skip app. Virani says the initiative began with an initial test phase and marks a major step forward. 'It was the first municipally authorized public robot delivery trial in the history of Canada,' said Virani. A similar program by Tiny Mile was halted in Toronto when the city banned such robots from sidewalks four years ago. Some worry they can pose a hazard to those with vision challenges, as well as seniors and people with disabilities. Ottawa also imposed a ban in 2022. But Virani believes the robots are safe and framed the project in broader economic terms. 'In Canada right now, we have entrepreneurship at an all-time low, (the) death of the Main Street, and you're seeing the cost of operating a business at an all-time high,' he said. 'So we need innovation like this. We need to start taking some bold, ambitious moves if we want to look at recovering our Canadian economy.' Proponents say robotic delivery can reduce carbon emissions and avoid the traffic congestion that slows some traditional couriers. The robots can travel 5 km/h, which is slightly faster than a person walking. While the bots can operate independently, for now at least, a human guide is following them to make sure there are no problems. There's also a remote operator who can take control if needed. Real Life Robotics aims to deploy up to 500 delivery robots across Canadian cities within the next three years. Robot food delivery Skip pilot project Customer Soban Khan uses an app on his phone to open the robot's lid and retrieve his ordered lunch. (CTV News) CTV News watched as Soban Khan stood outside his workplace, waiting for his robot-delivered lunch. He used an app on his phone to unlock the lid and retrieve the food. 'Pretty awesome experience, pretty new experience for me. And seems like a great innovation,' said Khan, who added that he would use robot delivery again. The initiative drew largely positive responses from people CTV News approached on the street. 'I personally haven't talked to anybody with a negative reaction so far,' said Josephine Yang, who is working as a robot guide. Asked how pedestrians should react when they encounter a delivery bot, Yang says they should go on with their day, like how they normally walk. 'They can just treat the robot as another pedestrian,' he added. Ryan Liyanage, another passerby, raised broader questions about public interaction. 'Its ok for me I don't mind it. But I suppose others might,' said Liyanage. He wondered if people would try to abuse it or tip it over. 'That would be interesting to see how decent our society can get along with the robots, right?'
Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Skip the human? Food delivery service test drives robots in downtown Markham
The food delivery service Skip is now using a small fleet of cooler-sized, orange robots to make deliveries, as part of a three-month pilot project in Markham. The four robots have locked, insulated compartments that can hold up to 50 kilogram, with cameras inside that can detect a spill. On the Skip app, customers within a two-kilometre radius in downtown Markham can choose to have a robot make their delivery. The customer inputs their order number, the box opens, they take their food, and the robot wheels away. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The food delivery service Skip is now using a small fleet of cooler-sized, orange robots to make deliveries, as part of a three-month pilot project in Markham. Skip, the app formerly branded as Skip the Dishes, is the latest North American delivery service to try out robots on sidewalks as a way of making shorter runs in congested urban centres quicker and more efficient than cars or bike couriers. 'Driving 20 minutes in downtown Toronto or downtown Markham, you know, that maybe means 10 feet, 50 feet,' Paul Sudarsan, Skip's VP of retail and new verticals, said in an interview on Wednesday. But the technology has been controversial, especially in Toronto. In 2021, a similar robot delivery project by Tiny Mile fizzled, after the city banned robots, or 'automated micro-utility devices,' on sidewalks and bike lanes over fears that they'd become a hazard to pedestrians with vision loss or mobility issues. The Skip test run is using human 'robot guides' who follow closely behind, keeping tabs on how the robots interact with the people they encounter on the sidewalk. A human pilot is also on hand, at an undisclosed overseas facility, to take remote control of the robot when they encounter an obstacle. 'They yield to pedestrians. They yield to wheelchairs. They yield to to strollers,' Sudarsan said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Asked whether the robots could potentially replace human couriers, he said they're only meant to compliment Skip's other delivery methods. 'Couriers will always be integral to our business,' he said. Skip's robot operations are run by Real Life Robotics, a firm based out of a startup incubator at the University of Waterloo. The company operates Skip's robot mission control out of a third-floor office in downtown Markham. Each night, after the robots end their shift at 9 p.m., a staff member comes down to meet them. RealLife Robotics CEO Cameron Waite, left, and head of growth Sharif Virani. 'This is very, very real,' Waite says of the bots being tested in Markham. 'The technology itself is mature. It's been tested. It's been vetted.' Steve Russell/ Toronto Star The robots enter 'follow me' mode and line up behind the human, like ducklings behind their mother, and together they walk into the lobby, up the elevator and into mission control for recharging and sterilization. On Tuesday, Real Life Robotics CEO Cameron Waite wanted to demonstrate how the whole thing worked. He opened the Skip app on his phone and ordered two croissants from a bakery across the street. Within a few minutes, on a large screen at the centre of the mission control room, Robot 4F140, who goes by Maple when interacting with the public, was assigned the order. At its home base, parked in a courtyard outside a bubble tea cafe, Robot 4F140 turned on and started rolling toward the bakery about a block away. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Now we're driving,' Waite said, watching a map on the screen as a little green icon representing 4F140 started moving. Waite started moving around to different windows in mission control, trying to spot 4F140 and its guide on the street below. 'It'll come out,' Waite said. 'He might take a left.' The robot crosses the street, which at this point in the trial is being done with assistance from a human pilot overseas (the company wouldn't say where the pilots are located.) But the robots have sensors to detect when a light turns green and it's safe to cross. The Skip app allows customers within a two-kilometre radius of downtown Markham to choose a robot for their delivery. Steve Russell/ Toronto Star 'This is very, very real. It's very capable,' Waite said, watching as the robot parked outside the bakery and waited for its guide to go in and collect the croissants. 'Now it's more about commercializing these operations. The technology itself is mature. It's been tested. It's been vetted.' Like other robots used for commercial deliveries, the orange Skip robots have human features. A digital screen on the front makes it look like they have eyes, which is meant to make locals accept the robots as a 'member of the community,' said Sharif Virani, head of growth at Real Life Robotics. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW If the machines are seen to have human qualities, they're less likely to be vandalized or stolen, he said. E-scooters, on the other hand, don't have human features and frequently have people 'throwing them around.' 'They didn't see it as part of the community,' Virani said. A few minutes later, Robot 4F140 arrived outside the office tower. Virani and Waite went down to meet it. They scanned the QR code on the robot, and a form popped up on the phone so they could type in the order number. After that, the lid opened and Virani took the croissants. As the robot headed back to its home base, at about five km/h, it came up to an older man and slowly swerved around him. The man smiled. 'That's what happens when you have that face,' Virani said, watching the robot and the man. 'If you didn't have a face there, there's nothing to smile at.' But shortly after the robot returned to its spot in courtyard, a middle-aged couple had a different reaction. 'We are too old to accept that,' said the woman. 'This robot's on the street?' her husband asked, shaking his head. 'Unbelievable.'
