Finding
Sidewalk robot fleets reached thousands of units; the economics now turn on utilization and remote-operator ratios
Serve Robotics grew from about 100 robots to roughly 2,000 in 2025 across 20 US cities on Uber Eats and DoorDash, then paused deployments in the first half of 2026 to raise utilization, which had climbed from 20% to 45%. Starship Technologies has made more than 8 million deliveries, mostly on campuses, and targets 12,000 robots by 2027.
A sidewalk robot carries one to four orders at walking pace on a 1-3 kWh battery, so energy cost per trip is a few cents and charging is simple: racks at a depot or swapped packs. The real costs are the robot's capital, the remote operators who handle crossings and blocked paths, and idle time. Campuses scale first because routes are short, merchants are close and one permit covers the site. See Autonomous Fleets and Sidewalk Delivery Robots for the robots themselves.
China took a different path: instead of sidewalk robots, operators such as Neolix and Zelos run low-speed road-going robovans for parcels, and Meituan uses drones and vans; see Robovan Fleets. Japan amended its Road Traffic Act in 2023 to allow remote-operated delivery robots on sidewalks, and South Korea followed the same year.
Classes
Delivery robot classes
| Class | Capacity | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campus robots | About 10 kg; three shopping bags | University meal and grocery delivery | Starship Technologies |
| Urban sidewalk robots | Two to four meal orders | Restaurant delivery on city sidewalks | Serve Robotics, Coco, Kiwibot |
| Bike-lane and road robots | Larger, faster, road-going | Longer suburban trips | DoorDash Dot; China's road-going robovans (Neolix, Zelos) |
| Indoor robots | Carts and totes | Hospitals, hotels, offices | Serve Moxi; Pudu, Keenon (China) |
Operators
Fleet operators
| Operator | Base | Scale | Partners |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serve Robotics | US | ~2,050 robots in Q1 2026; 20 cities | Uber Eats, DoorDash |
| Starship Technologies | US/Estonia | 8 million+ deliveries; 12,000-robot target for 2027 | Campuses, Grubhub, European grocers |
| Coco | US | Teleoperated and autonomous robots in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami | Uber Eats, DoorDash |
| Kiwibot | US/Colombia | Campus and city pilots | Universities, Sodexo |
| DoorDash Dot | US | Own robot, Phoenix area, from late 2025 | DoorDash |
| Amazon Scout | US | Ended in 2022 | None |
Economics
What decides fleet economics
| Factor | Why it matters | Current state |
|---|---|---|
| Utilization | Robots earn only while carrying orders | Serve doubled utilization in a year, then paused new deployments in early 2026 to fill robots |
| Teleoperation ratio | Remote staff per robot sets labor cost | Ratios improve as autonomy handles crossings and curbs |
| Merchant density | Short trips need many restaurants nearby | Campuses and dense downtowns work first |
| Fleet-as-a-service | Operators own robots and sell deliveries | Platforms pay per delivery; schools and cities sign service contracts |
| Permits | Cities set speed, weight and zone rules | Many US states allow personal delivery devices; Japan legalized remote-operated sidewalk robots in 2023 |
Sources
Sources and scope
- Scope
- Sidewalk Delivery Robot Fleets
- Sources
- Serve Robotics filings (2025-26); Starship Technologies; DoorDash; Japan National Police Agency
- Updated
- October 2026