A vehicle dubbed “Taiwan’s first food courier robot” is to undergo a 10-month trial at the Kaohsiung Software Park (高雄軟體園區) from Wednesday next week, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) said yesterday.
While robots supplementing waiters at restaurants is not unheard of, the autonomous mobile robot, also known as Cubot ONE, is set apart by its ability to deliver food to workers in nearby offices, the government-funded institute said in a statement.
Cubot ONE would be deployed at the park’s 7-Eleven convenience store, from where it would deliver orders placed by workers in the park’s three office buildings, the institute said.
Photo: CNA
The institute first unveiled the robot at the Meet Greater South expo in Kaohsiung last year, after which the Cubot ONE’s developers spent six months upgrading it, said Chang Neng-kai (張能凱), a senior specialist in the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Industrial Technology.
Cubot ONE can weave its way through crowded spaces, and enter and exit elevators, Chang said.
Cubot ONE would deliver orders placed through 7-Eleven’s Foodomo food delivery platform, he said.
Global robot sales have been growing in the past few years, with logistics robots accounting for 34 percent of overall sales, Chang said.
Global production value of robot sales is expected to reach US$49.4 billion in 2027, he said.
Cubot ONE would mark the latest example of artificial intelligence applications in the ministry’s Taiwan Startup Terrace technology cluster in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), after the ministry conducted successful trials of uncrewed aerial vehicles and autonomous ships, Chang said.
Chang said he hopes that Cubot ONE would operate in “smart” stores, hotels and restaurants in the future.
Powered by cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology, wireless Internet connectivity, 3D positioning, a navigation system and a patented chassis, Cubot ONE can receive orders, navigate through traffic, circumvent or surmount obstacles and send notifications to customers, ITRI executive vice president Chang Pei-zen (張培仁) said.
Cubot ONE is expected to save workers in the park an average of 10 to 15 minutes per order, the institute said.
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