The future of delivery: a giant robot for autonomous deliveries

A driverless electric vehicle with ten refrigerated lockers promises to revolutionize urban logistics with reduced costs and flat rates.

Robomart, a Los Angeles-based startup, has unveiled its new RM5, a home delivery robot that takes the concept of small sidewalk vehicles to the next level. Unlike traditional wheeled vehicles capable of carrying a single order, the Californian company's model is the size of a minibus and can accommodate up to 500 pounds of cargo distributed across ten independent, climate-controlled lockers, designed to serve multiple customers in a single trip.

The vehicle is classified as Level 4 autonomous, meaning it requires no space for a driver and travels at a limited speed, with a maximum of 40 km/h. Fully electric, it has a range of approximately 180 kilometers and weighs just over a ton. "Robomart exists to finally make on-demand delivery sustainable and economically efficient," said Emad Suhail Rahim, co-founder and chief strategy officer, emphasizing that the goal is to create a sort of "autonomous Instacart" that is truly profitable for both retailers and consumers.

The business model involves a proprietary app similar to Uber Eats or Instacart, where customers can select products from participating supermarkets, restaurants, and stores. Each delivery will cost a flat $3 per order, with no surcharges, commissions, or tips, a feature the company considers key to attracting users in a market where most delivery services are still struggling to generate profits.

From a logistics perspective, RM5 stands out because it can collect orders from multiple retailers before starting its distribution round, with dynamic, multi-stop routes optimized by artificial intelligence. Once at their destination, customers use the app to unlock their assigned locker and collect their groceries. According to Tigran Shahverdyan, co-founder and CTO, the robot "can carry fifty times more cargo than small sidewalk bots or drones, avoiding the capacity and labor limitations of traditional methods."

Robomart isn't starting from scratch: four years ago, it experimented with the formula using modified Mercedes minivans for deliveries. Today, the company boasts partnerships with brands such as Ahold Delhaize, Unilever, Mars, Avery Dennison, and Yamaha Motors, and has raised less than $5 million in funding from funds such as Hustle Fund, Wasabi Ventures, and HAX since its founding in 2018. The commercial launch is planned for later this year in Austin, Texas, with plans to engage local partners to test the service's scalability.