Kiwibots navigate through roads, sidewalks

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Since May, Downtown Markham has been collaborating with SKIP and Waterloo-based startup Real Life Robotics to deploy food delivery robots to nearby residents during a three-month trial.

These food delivery robots, known as Kiwibots, are self-driving and can navigate through roads and sidewalks under various weather conditions. They are equipped with secure compartments to keep deliveries fresh, as well as cameras, lasers, and AI-powered sensors to ensure safety.

Participating restaurants and businesses include Poke Guys, Milestones Grill and Bar, South Street Burger, Grande Burrito, Aroma Espresso Bar, Popeyes, Kiu Japanese Restaurant, Patisserie Fleur, and Cineplex.

Customers can select robot delivery when ordering within a two-kilometre radius from their restaurant via SKIP. The robots come with no delivery fees and are available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

A human guide accompanies each robot as it delivers orders to each customer. Once the pair arrives, the customer then scans the robot’s QR code and inputs the last four digits of their delivery number to retrieve their order.

Sharif Virani, Head of Growth at Real Life Robotics, said the company chose Downtown Markham because the city did “above and beyond” to help them implement their technology. He aims to complete at least 1,200 deliveries by the end of the three months.

“The City of Markham doesn’t just talk the talk,” he said. “They walk the walk. They water their own garden. And they put their hands up to figure out how we could do this in a way that they felt was safe, intentional, and comfortable.”

Some participating restaurants provided feedback about the robot deliveries.

Bart Gisone, supervisor at Milestones, commented positively on the trial. He said customers order with robot delivery about two or three times a week at Milestones.

“I think it can do great things,” Gisone said, regarding the Kiwibots. “I think it will make things a little more efficient having robots nearby.”

Wendy Zhou, owner of Aroma Espresso Bar, and Jaclyn Lee, manager at Patisserie Fleur, said the Kiwibots didn’t make much of a difference with their business operations. Lee said customers ordered with robot delivery around three to four times a week, whereas Zhou said her customers chose robot delivery on a daily basis.

Virani was nonetheless pleased with their responses.

“I’m not looking to have an impact on their business operations, so I’m actually very glad to hear that,” he said. “I’m hoping to have an impact on Canadians’ wallets. That’s the goal here.”

Zhou added that some customers were so frustrated with their wait times that they went to her restaurant and picked up the orders themselves. According to her, this situation also happens on a daily basis.

“They feel, ‘Oh, it takes the robot 20 minutes, and I could just run downstairs and just walk over in five minutes,’” she said.

Virani said he understands the customers’ concerns and that his company chose to prioritize safety over speed. He added that the Kiwibots travel around three to five kilometres per hour to ensure safe deliveries.

“It takes time to do and it takes time to get it done right,” he said, in regard to the deliveries. “But the cool thing about robots that differs from humans is that once you get it right and get it done, you can copy-paste it, literally.”

According to Virani, Real Life Robotics aims for at least 80 per cent of all robot deliveries to be under 30 minutes long.

Virani said the robots have reached TRL-8, or Technology Readiness Level Eight. According to the Government of Canada, this means the technology has been completed and proven to work under expected conditions, but may require additional testing to ensure it meets operational requirements.

Early results indicated robot deliveries are more environmentally efficient and emit less carbon than traditional delivery methods.

Visit realliferobotics.com for more information.

Photo: Real Life Robotics’ food delivery bots, known as Kiwibots, are made to withstand many weather conditions. (Photo courtesy of Real Life Robotics)