Delivery robots have been promoted in Moscow since around 2019, through Russia’s version of Uber Eats.
The Yandex.Eats app from tech giant and search engine company Yandex released a citywide fleet of 20 robots across the city that year.
‘Yandex plans to release around 1,300 robots per month by the end of 2027.’
By 2023, Yandex added another 50 robots from its third-generation production line, touting a delivery proficiency rating of 87% of orders delivered between eight and 12 minutes.
“About 15 delivery robots are enough to deliver food and groceries in a residential area with a population of 5,000 people,” Yandex said at the time, per RT.
However, what started as a few rectangular robots wheeling through the streets has seemingly spiraled into what will become thousands of bots, including both harmless-looking buggies and, perhaps more frightening, bipedal bots.
The news comes as sightings of humanoid robots in Russia are increasing.
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According to TAdvisor, Yandex plans to release around 1,300 robots per month by the end of 2027, for a whopping total of approximately 20,000 machines. The goal is to have a massive fleet of bots for deliveries, as well as supply couriers to other companies, while reducing the cost of shipping.
At the same time, Yandex also announced development of humanoid robots. Videos have recently popped up of a smaller bot walking alongside a delivery bot in 2024, but it is hard to tell if it was real or a human in costume.
RT recently shared a video of a seemingly real bipedal bot running through the streets of Moscow with a delivery on its back. The bot also took time to dance with an old man, for some reason.
However, it is hard to believe that any Russian autonomous bots are ready for mass production given the recent demo showcased at a technology event in Moscow.
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Aldol, a robot developed by a company of the same name, was described as Russia’s first anthropomorphic bot powered by AI.
Last week, the robot was brought on stage and took a few shaky steps while waving to the audience before tumbling robo-face-first onto the floor. Two presenters dragged the robot off stage as if they were rescuing a wounded comrade, while at the same time a third member of the team struggled to put a curtain back into place to hide the debacle.
Still, Yandex is hoping it can expand its robots into fields like medicine, while simultaneously perfecting the use of its delivery bots. The company plans to have a robot at each point of contact before a delivery gets to the human recipient.
The plan, to be showcased at the company’s own offices, is to have an automated process in which a humanoid robot picks up an order and packs it onto a wheeled delivery bot. Then, the wheeled bot takes the order to another humanoid bot on the receiving end, which then delivers it to the customer.
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Return, Ai, Robots, Russia, Moscow, Delivery, Uber eats, Tech
