iFood Will Test Robots for Food Delivery, Expects Operations in Brazil in 2020

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The iFood food delivery app is working to include automated robots in the initial or final stage of the delivery process, said to Uol reporter Fernando Martins, the company’s logistics innovation manager, in a brand event this Tuesday, October 28th, in Osasco (SP).

The robots are developed by the São Paulo company Synkar and should be ready in January when testing begins.

According to Martins, the commercial operation is scheduled for the second half of 2020 and will rely on partnerships with shopping malls and the regulation on automated vehicles in these locations.

According to the company, the robot will complement the delivery, working in the first or last stage of the process, and will only work in controlled environments, such as shopping malls or condominiums.

The company’s plan is to use the vehicle -which will be a wheeled machine with a compartment for the order- to pick up the food from the food court and take it to the customer’s location, reducing delivery time.

“The driver can also take the order to a condominium without having to go into the area. The robot takes it to the customer’s house and we optimize the delivery,” Martins said.

The malls will need to have centers dedicated to iFood. Shopping mall operator Aliansce Sonae announced a partnership with the company on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

The first malls to establish these spaces will be D.Pedro Shopping, in Campinas (SP), and Shopping Leblon, in Rio de Janeiro. iFood delivers over 20 million orders of food per month in Brazil.

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