This Autonomous Delivery Robot Promises Low Fees, Zero Tips

• Los Angeles-based Robobart unveiled a new autonomous delivery vehicle.
• With 10 individual lockers, the RM5 electric driverless van can pick up multiple items from different stores. It can also do multiple deliveries to different customers.
• No matter the size of the order, though, the company says that customers will have to pay a single flat delivery fee that’s much smaller compared to rivals like Instacart and DoorDash.

The storage locker on wheels you see below might look a little funny, but it promises to slash personal grocery delivery costs by a fair bit. It’s called the RM5 and it’s the brainchild of Los Angeles-based startup Robomart, which says that by taking the human driver out of the equation, the cost of a delivery can go down by up to 70%.

Robomart’s autonomous delivery vehicle has 10 individual lockers, which enable it to make multiple stops at grocery stores for a single delivery. It can also deliver multiple parcels to different customers. Whatever the size of the order, though, the startup says that an individual customer will only have to pay a flat $3 fee, which is lower than what competing services like UberEats and DoorDash usually charge.

What’s more, because there is no driver, the company promises “no markups, no service fees, no tips.” In other words, the only thing that will be added to the cost of groceries will be that $3 delivery fee, which is quite enticing.

Unlike other unmanned delivery robots that use bike lanes or sidewalks to slowly make their way to their destination, Robomart’s RM5 is designed to travel at up to 25 miles per hour on public roads, which should make the whole delivery process a little snappier, at least in theory.

The robot is 146.6 inches (3,724 millimeters) long, 56 inches (1,424 mm) wide and 82.6 inches (2,100 mm) tall. It has a curb weight of 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilograms) and a maximum range of 112 miles (180 kilometers) on a full charge. Each of the 10 lockers can be chilled or heated and can accommodate a payload of up to 50 pounds (22.6 kg), bringing the total payload of the vehicle to 500 pounds (226 kg).

When de delivery robot arrives at the destination, the customer will need to use a smartphone app to open the appropriate lockers. But before any of this happens, the startup has to sign partnership agreements with retailers. According to TechCrunch, this will happen in Austin, Texas, over the next few months ahead of the delivery service’s launch later this year.

Robomart was founded in 2017 and began a pilot program for a “store on wheels” in 2020, which used autonomous vehicles stocked with things like pharmacy goods and ice cream. The cars were driven directly to the customer, who would then pick out what they wanted. The service then progressed to an on-demand delivery solution.