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Uber (NYSE:UBER) is partnering with Mitsubishi Electric and robotics firm Cartken to deliver food using autonomous robots in parts of Tokyo, Japan, starting by the end of next month.
Cartken’s Model C robots, which use AI and computer vision technologies to navigate sidewalks, will be used for Uber Eats deliveries in the partnership. Mitsubishi Electric will supervise the operations.
Japan’s logistics infrastructure has been under pressure on account of the country’s aging population and resulting workforce shortage.
Shoji Tanaka, senior general manager of the Advanced Application Development Center, Development Division at Mitsubishi Electric, believes robot delivery services would be an effective countermeasure. “We hope this newly announced initiative will serve as a catalyst for the spread of robot delivery services in Japan.”
Japan will be the first international site for autonomous Uber (UBER) Eats operations, which have only been launched in a few U.S. cities so far.
Uber (UBER) Eats and Cartken first partnered to launch autonomous food delivery services in parts of Miami, Florida in 2022. The services expanded to Fairfax, Virginia last year.
Uber (UBER) Eats also has similar partnerships with other robotics firms Motional, Nuro and Serve Robotics.
