Serve Robotics, the leading autonomous sidewalk delivery company, announced the deployment of its next-generation delivery robots, becoming the first autonomous vehicle company to complete commercial deliveries at Level 4 autonomy.
This milestone means Serve Robotics’ latest generation of robots can operate routinely without human intervention and rely on their onboard capabilities to ensure safe operation. This industry-first results from nearly five years of work by the Serve Robotics team and represents a major step forward for the autonomous vehicle industry, significantly lowering the barriers for autonomous delivery at scale.
Serve Robotics recently completed the first-ever delivery at Level 4 autonomy, navigating fully autonomously in designated areas. The company’s robots are equipped with various technologies that ensure the highest degree of safety by utilising multiple layers of redundant systems for critical navigation functions. This includes multiple sensor modalities — active sensors such as lidar and ultrasonics and passive sensors such as cameras – to navigate safely on busy city sidewalks.
Serve Robotics’ achievement required the development of a wide range of market-leading capabilities, such as automatic emergency braking, vehicle collision avoidance, and fail-safe mechanical braking.
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“I’m proud that Serve Robotics has achieved Level 4 autonomy, which further enhances public safety by significantly reducing the potential for human error. This milestone begins to unlock the full potential of robotic delivery,” said Serve Robotics co-founder and CEO Dr Ali Kashani. “This technical and commercial milestone is an achievement for the entire AV industry and accelerates our mission to make delivery more accessible and sustainable.”
Serve’s technical breakthrough was possible with help from key technology partners, including NVIDIA and Ouster. The NVIDIA Jetson platform, designed for robots and other autonomous machines, powers the AI computing necessary for Serve robots to understand their complex environment in real-time. Ouster’s lidar sensors provide small, lightweight, power-efficient sensing technology that enables the robots’ reliable self-driving capabilities.
“Serve Robotics’ accomplishment represents a breakthrough for commercial deployment of AV technology for sidewalk delivery,” said Murali Gopalakrishna, Head of Product Management, Autonomous Machines and GM for Robotics at NVIDIA. “We look forward to Serve to continue to leverage the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI and Isaac robotics platforms to advance their technological lead further.”
“Serve Robotics has achieved a breakthrough for the AV industry and sidewalk delivery,” said Angus Pacala, CEO of Ouster. “Ouster is pleased to partner with Serve as they continue to scale and bring lidar-powered Level 4 autonomy to doorsteps across the US.”
