Uber Eats Japan begins deliveries with self-driving robots

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Uber Eats Japan on Wednesday began using self-driving robots for deliveries in Tokyo, a new venture aimed at making the service more efficient amid the country’s ongoing labor shortage.

The robots are currently used for two stores — Tonkatsu Aoki and Benihana Annex — in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi area, but the company hopes to roll them out in more areas. They are being used for deliveries between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Japan is now the second country in the world where Uber Eats, the food delivery service of ride-hailing companyUber Technologies, operates delivery robots. The company began using them in the United States in 2022.

Once an order is placed on the Uber Eatsapp, the robot will head to the store to pick it up before delivering it to the address specified by the customer, who will then use a key in the app to receive the order.

Japan is the second country in the world, after the United States, where Uber Eats operates delivery robots.

Japan is the second country in the world, after the United States, where Uber Eats operates delivery robots. | AFP-JIJI

Shintaro Nakagawa, the head of Uber Eats Japan, said in a news release that self-driving robots will not gain a foothold overnight.

“But given that the country faces labor shortages including the ‘2024 problem,’ we believe that it (self-driving robots) will become of greater importance as a way to increase options for delivery,” he said, referring to a looming truck driver storage stemming from an impending overtime cap.

Uber Eatsuses robots supplied by Cartken, a company that specializes in such technology, that were then adapted for use in Japan by Mitsubishi Electric. The robots are powered by artificial intelligence that allows them to self-drive as well as be operated remotely.

They run up to 5.4 kph, just below the speed limit of 6 kph for small remote-controlled vehicles prescribed by Japanese traffic laws. The robots have a capacity of 27 liters and 20 kilograms, with thermal insulation to keep food delivered to customers at the appropriate temperature.

A restaurant employee places a food order into the storage compartment of Uber Eats' self-driving robot during a demonstration of the service on Tuesday.

A restaurant employee places a food order into the storage compartment of Uber Eats’ self-driving robot during a demonstration of the service on Tuesday. | AFP-JIJI

The robots utilize cameras to travel on pedestrian walkways without running into things. The cameras automatically mask the faces of people in the footage they capture to protect the privacy of those who come into the frame.

Shoji Tanaka, the head of Mitsubishi Electrics’ innovation center, said the company is looking to innovate further so as to enable autonomous robots to be able to eventually deliver goods inside buildings.